Isco Reportedly Punished by Rafa Benitez, Real Madrid After Rayo Goal Reaction

Real Madrid midfielder Isco was reportedly punished by the club after he was caught laughing as his team fell behind against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.  

The playmaker watched on from the bench as Los Blancos surrendered an early one-goal lead against the relegation battlers. According to El Chiringuito (h/t Carlos Forjanes of AS), after the goal, Isco was spotted giggling by one of manager Rafael Benitez’s assistants, and as a result, he didn’t get a run out during the game.

Real did eventually go on to win the match 10-2, as Rayo had two men dismissed. However, Benitez chose to give game time to Lucas Vazquez, Mateo Kovacic and Alvaro Arbeloa from the bench as Los Blancos totted up the goals, leaving Isco on the sideline.

Daniel Ochoa de Olza/Associated Press

The BlancoEdition Twitter account was unhappy the former Malaga man wasn’t handed a place in the starting XI to begin with:

"

Getting tired of seeing Isco on the bench. He's proven so many times he deserves to start. He's being wasted on the bench...

— BlancoEdition (@BlancoEdition) December 20, 2015"

It’s been far from enjoyable this season for Isco so far. The Spain international has featured regularly under Benitez, but some indiscipline has shone through recently.

As Barcelona ran riot at the Santiago Bernabeu, winning the Clasico 4-0, Isco was sent off late in the game for a rash kick out at Neymar. Additionally, in a recent match against Villarreal, the playmaker was caught reacting peculiarly, in plain sight of television cameras, after seeing team-mate Toni Kroos sat on the bench, per Football Funnys:

"

The moment when Isco couldn't believe his eyes that Kroos was on the bench v Villareal pic.twitter.com/R8MGMBApXf

— Football Funnys (@FootballFunnys) December 16, 2015"

If these latest reports are indeed true, it’d certainly be a shame. At his best, Isco is a player who can make a massive impact for Real, and he’s hugely popular among Madridistas, too. 

Should any of the stellar front four of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema or James Rodriguez pick up a knock, the 23-year-old would usually be the first to come into the team. But it definitely seems as though Benitez’s enthusiasm for Isco has cooled lately.

As WhoScored.com noted in the aftermath of his red card, these indiscretions do seem to be out of character:

Benitez is a manager who takes discipline seriously, though, and if Isco was indeed giggling as his own team-mates falling behind, it’s little surprise he was left to watch from the dugout.

There are few players in world football quite as easy on the eye as Isco. The talent and technique shine through whenever he takes to the field, but it’s important he accrues the appropriate temperament to complement these attributes.