After several months in the wilderness, Isco returned to football during the summer with Real Betis. He arrived as a free agent, having left bitter rivals Sevilla in December after a dispute with then-Sporting Director Monchi.
Isco had offers to return to football before he did, but as he told Diario AS, he wanted to prepare himself in the best way before coming back.
“I am passionate about my profession, playing football is what I love. When I decided to stop for a few months, I did it to prepare myself to be better than ever at all levels.
“I worked hard, but I set myself a goal to show that I have hunger, ambition and ability in football. You can have better or worse games, but above all I want to show commitment and desire to help the team.”
Isco left Real Madrid in the summer of 2022 to join Sevilla. He had spent nine years at the club upon his departure, which he admitted should have come sooner that it did.
“I don’t feel like I have been treated unfairly in recent years, although I think I could have played more. Football is complex and you have to know how to adapt to each situation. I choose to focus on what I can do to change things, rather than what others can do.
“I always tried to do my best (at Real Madrid), although maybe I should have left sooner because of my situation near the end of my stay there.”
There is no bad blood towards Real Madrid despite a disappointing end to his career there, and he is hoping to receive a positive reception from the Santiago Bernabeu faithful when Betis travel to the Spanish capital in May.
“I would like to have a great reception from the fans because Real Madrid was the most important team of my sporting career. I will always love and respect them and the club.
“If Betis can’t win La Liga, I hope that Real Madrid do.”
Isco has made a fine start to his career at Real Betis, and he will hope that they can bounce back from Saturday’s disappointing 5-0 defeat at the hands of Barcelona.
