Isco Alcaron was one of the centre-pieces of Zinedine Zidane’sReal Madridsetup. He may not have been a regular starter for the Merengues, but his importance in the triple-UCL winning squad cannot be understated.
The Spanish international made 353 appearances for the men in white, scoring 53 goals and providing 57 assists in the process. He has won five UCL titles, four FIFA Club World Cups, three La Liga titles and a Copa del Rey amongst other titles with the club
The midfielder recently came out in an interview withMARCAtalking about his final months atReal Madrid, the struggles he has faced after his departure and his current situation. He briefly touched upon his time under former manager Zinedine Zidane and accepted that he should have done better.
“Did I expect more from Zidane? No. Zidane expected more from me, to be Һօɴєȿτ.”
Isco’s importance in the team took a steep fall after the appointment of Santiago Solari in 2018. He opened up about the difficulties he faced under the Argentine tactician’s tenure and his ostracisation from the squad.
“When Solari came, Isco no longer existed for anyone.Not for the coach, not for the assistants, not for anyone.”
“Nobody gave me exρłɑɴations as to why I suddenly stopped having minutes and when I asked Solari directly he told me that nothing was wrong, but that the coach decided.”
The former player proceeded to admit that he should have left the club at that very instant, yet admitted that the decision was not an easy one to execute.
“Other seasons, the club called me to tell me all the offers they had for me and that it was going to be difficult for me to play. I always replied that it had taken me a long time to get to where I was and that I would compete with whoever was needed.But this time it was different. I should have left.”
“I should have leftReal Madridbefore, but it’s the most difficult thing in the world.”
Isco also ɾєⱱєɑłєԀ that Barcelona had indeedmade an offerto sign him in the summer of 2018. The Catalans’ proposal was economically tempting, but the player refused to leaveReal Madriddespite the financial bait.
“Barca offer in 2018? Yes, Bartomeu called me & with the salary he was giving that time. But I was very well in Madrid, my teammates, and an incredible atmosphere. It was the team of my dreams, where I won everything. I wasn’t leaving Madrid for all the gold in the world.”
The past few years have not been easy for the 31-year-old and he is currently without a team since leaving Sevilla on a free transfer in August 2022. Yet, he looked back on his time withLos Blancoswith pride and did not hold any hard feelings over his treatment.
“I started in two CL finals, Cup finals, Super Cups…until 2018 I managed to be in all the important moments ofReal Madrid– the largest team in football history.”
