Real Madrid, Barcelona Exits Show Isco and Others the Grass Can Be Greener

Thinking it is one thing, but saying it is another. In the hyper-intensive world that is Real Madrid, where every word is scrutinised like nowhere else, every development can be seen through a political prism and the swirl of self-interest never subsides, being candid is fraught with risk. But Isco went for it anyway.

"I'm 24, and if I don't find a place in the starting XI, I'd like to move on," he told COPE (h/t AS). "I'm happy in Madrid, but what footballers want is to progress, and if I can't here, I wouldn't have a problem in looking for an exit."

Those lines came in the aftermath of Madrid's fourth consecutive draw, which came against Eibar prior to the international break. Isco had been awarded a rare start amid injuries to others and had struggled. The Bernabeu had whistled him, despite having long adored him. It had the feel of an end approaching, and that can be hard to deal with. 

If Real Madrid has often appeared otherworldly from the outside, some of those who've been within it have been happy to confirm as much. Michael Owen once wrote in the Telegraph, "You float like you are an angel out on to that pitch." More recently, Alvaro Arbeloa went into maxed-out-eulogy mode when discussing what it's like to depart football's nirvana.

"It's difficult to leave Real Madrid and choose another destination," Arbeloa told COPE (h/t ESPN FC) after his move to West Ham United. "It's like leaving heaven and having to choose a place on Earth."

Arbeloa has a connection with Madrid like few others, and his line neatly describes the emotional difficulty of moving on as a player.

Like Barcelona, Real Madrid represents one half of football's pinnacle. Stepping away theoretically means the best is behind you, and for players who've spent their lives getting there, players who possess a drive the rest of us will never fully understand, such a blow is tough to grasp.

That's what Isco is facing up to. Much can still change, and there are other angles one can read into. But his frank assessment suggests he's preparing for life after Madrid if it comes to that. Encouragingly for him, recent evidence says there's plenty of it to be found.

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Though leaving La Liga's giants is often presented as a step backward, it doesn't turn out that way for many. Some relish their escape from the swirl, while others need some time to recover.

Just look at Gonzalo Higuain and Sami Khedira. Look at Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil. Look at Thiago Alcantara and Xabi Alonso. Look at Gerard Deulofeu and Bojan Krkic. Look at Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Yaya Toure. Look at Arjen Robben. Look at Angel Di Maria. Look at Alvaro Morata. There are plenty of others, too. Leaving ain't so bad. 

For some, the exit becomes a motivator. At Arsenal, Alexis perhaps best embodies that, having become his side's key figure through an intensity and bustle that was both misunderstood and not entirely compatible at Barcelona. It would be over the top to dub it a wake-up call, but being forced away serves as a reminder of football's ruthless edge, sharpening a focus that was sharp to begin with. 

You sense the likes of Robben and Ibrahimovic fall into the same category. Their departures from Madrid and Barcelona, respectively, were laced with a mutual ill feeling, lighting something within them. Samuel Eto'o was the same way when he left Madrid, later exacting revenge at the Camp Nou.

For others, there's a hangover to overcome. Di Maria at Manchester United and Ozil at Arsenal have shown the political manoeuvring at the Bernabeu takes a toll. Both were subjected to the rumours that so conveniently arise when contracts and potential sales loom.

Di Maria didn't find himself for 12 months after being shown the door. Ozil needed even longer. But both have shown that such negativity eventually subsides, as Di Maria and Ozil are now central figures in Paris and London, respectively. 

It's these cases that illustrate the diversity in post-Madrid and Barcelona paths, and there are more. For Alonso, it was about jumping before he was pushed. For Higuain and Khedira, it was about breaking free of internal battles. For Bojan, it was about leaving behind the storm. For Deulofeu, Morata and Thiago, it was about development through opportunities that weren't available at Spain's behemoths. 

Each have faced an array of obstacles, but what they all have in common is that they discovered grass that's still pretty green on the other side. 

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Now, it's Isco contemplating that path. And he's not the only one who you could say is approaching such a juncture, either, with the likes of James Rodriguez, Aleix Vidal and others at Madrid and Barcelona looking on the edge.

It's a reflection of how rapidly careers unfold at the game's pinnacle, where the margin for error is nonexistent.

As little as 12 months ago, Vidal was thought to be the heir to Dani Alves, and James was considered the future face of Madrid. Twelve months before that, Isco was an integral member of Carlo Ancelotti's side at the Bernabeu that won 22 straight games in late 2014, functioning as a creative force in a team that was taking on a new, technical essence. 

It was in that period that Isco cemented himself as the darling of Chamartin. His name regularly rang around the stands, and even did so when he was red-carded for kicking Neymar in Barcelona's thrashing of Real in last November's Clasico. Clearly, there's an affinity there, something that will be challenging to let go of if that's what it comes to, and it feels like it will.

The former Malaga starlet possesses a skill set that clashes with manager Zinedine Zidane's vision of the side. Stylistically and systematically, he's not a natural fit despite his versatility and immense talent. There's also the more basic problem of having Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in front of him. 

"Zidane isn't being unfair with me," Isco said to COPE (h/t AS). "He puts in who deserves it, whoever's best. Ancelotti came and I didn't get to be an undisputed starter, and neither have I with [Rafa] Benitez and Zidane. I understand that the one who's responsible [for that] is me."

That's not entirely true, because there are matters out of his hands. Even so, such an assessment is encouraging with regard to a potential move. He's taking ownership of his situation rather than deflecting. As Arbeloa put it, Isco might soon have to choose a place on Earth, but there have been enough before him to show picking one of those places tends to work out fine. 

Marca once asked, "Is there life after Real?" The grass that's still pretty green suggests there is.