Isco claims he was assaulted by Sevilla director in new interview | OneFootball

When Isco signed for Real Madrid in 2013, few would have predicted he would have ended up without a club a decade later.

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Widely regarded as one of Spain’s most promising players, the Malaga man had been targeted by Manchester City, only to sign for Los Blancos instead.

When the deal was confirmed, his new manager Carlo Ancelotti claimed that the playmaker was good enough to play for any team at the highest level.

“From what I have seen of him, it's clear he has a lot of quality,” he said, as per BBC Sport.

“Spain's Under-21 side has a lot of great players and he is one of the best. He could get into any team in the world, so he could also play for Madrid.”

But now, 10 years later, after falling out with the club hierarchy at Sevilla and following the collapse of a potential transfer to German side Union Berlin, Isco finds himself without a club and is now searching for his next opportunity.

And in an exclusive interview with Spanish outlet Marca, the 31-year-old has opened up about his demise.

Just how good was Isco?

Before we get into that though, let's just briefly remind ourselves how good Isco was when he burst onto the scene.

The short answer to the question above is very. You don’t attract interest from some of the best clubs in Europe at such a young age without exhibiting huge amounts of talent.

After starting off at Valencia’s youth teams, Isco made the move to Malaga in 2011.

It was there that he became one of the most exciting prospects in European football, and during 82 games for Los Albicelestes he scored 17 goals and weighed in with 10 assists too.

A year after signing for Malaga, he would win the European Golden Boy award, highlighting just how highly rated he was.

He would make a name for himself on the international stage too.

In 2013, Isco helped Spain’s U21 team become European champions, scoring three times during the tournament, including a penalty against Italy in the final which finished 4-2.

He earned a spot in the team of the tournament, helping to underline his status as one of the most exciting young talents in world football.

All of the above would convince Real Madrid to sign him for a reported fee of £23 million.

During his nine years at the club, Isco would make 353 appearances in all competitions, scoring 53 times and assisting a further 57 goals.

Multiple pieces of silverware would follow, including five Champions League trophies, but he would eventually leave the club in 2022 as a free agent.

Isco’s five-month stay at Sevilla

Isco would ultimately sign for Sevilla that summer and join Julen Lopetegui’s side on a two-year deal.

The midfielder had worked with the manager at Madrid in 2018 and also with the Spanish national team.

And he told Marca that a reunion with his old boss was a major reason why he agreed to join the club.

“I terminated my contract with Real Madrid and that preseason Lopetegui was in Sevilla,” Isco said. “He called me and told me that he wanted me.

“In the end Lopetegui is one of the coaches with whom I've been the best and I've played my best for him. I had other offers from Italy, but I thought it was a good step in my career, because it's a great team, they were playing in the Champions League, Lopetegui was there.... It was a very nice opportunity.”

However, it would not take long for everything to go wrong for Sevilla’s new recruit.

Lopetegui was sacked as head coach in October of that same year after he managed to guide the team to just one win in 10 games.

His final match in charge was against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, and his side hammered 4-1 by the German team.

Isco would start that match, but in December of that same year, his contract was terminated by mutual consent.

Isco reveals fight with Monchi was behind his early departure

Reports at the time had suggested that there had been a conflict between Sevilla’s sporting director Monchi and the midfielder.

And now, Isco has revealed that the dispute began after Lopetegui’s departure from the club.

“To start with, they called my agent to look for a way out, without talking to me beforehand, so, as soon as I found out, I went to talk directly to Monchi,” he said.

“I told him: 'Listen, this has come to me, I don't know what's going on, I don't know if you want me, if you don't want me? Be honest with me and we'll sort it out without any problems. I'm at your disposal'."

However, Isco went on to say that things only got worse following their talk.

“I just wanted to know the club's thoughts and he told me that if I could find a club I should leave. After that conversation, Monchi kept saying that I wanted to leave, something that wasn't true, and he started calling me and my lawyer every day, pestering us to sign the contract.

“So, I went to talk to him again and I told him: 'Look Monchi, you are not being honest with me or with the people you are telling things to. I want to stay and you are saying that I want to leave'.”

And it was at that point that Isco claims that the conflict escalated from a heated discussion to Monchi assaulting him.

“I told him that he was the biggest liar I had ever met in the world of football and he assaulted me. He came towards me, grabbed me by the neck, we moved away from each other and they had to separate us completely.

“As you can understand, after that, I didn't want to stay there under any circumstances.

“And although I felt sorry for him, because I had a very good relationship with my teammates and the fans treated me wonderfully, I couldn't be at ease in a club where the sporting director assaults me and nobody speaks out or apologizes. Neither for the aggression, nor for all the lies he was leaking. So, I forgave my contract and left.”

Why Isco’s move to Union Berlin collapsed

Someone of Isco’s quality was never going to remain a free agent for long though, and come the January transfer window, German side Union Berlin came calling.

The move was very advanced but then collapsed at the last minute.

The Bundesliga team then put out a statement which hinted at Isco’s demands changing after an agreement had been reached in earlier negotiations.

“We would have liked to see Isco with us, but we have our limits,” Sporting Director Oliver Ruhnert said, as per Football Espana.

“Those limits were overstepped today, contradicting the earlier agreement.”

But Isco has revealed a contrary version of events now.

He tells Marca that he was contacted by his agent, Jorge Mendes, who stated that Union Berlin had offered him a one-year deal with an option of another year.

After seeing their performance in the Bundesliga and the Europa League too, he decided to accept their offer.

“They sent me the contract and I forwarded it to my lawyer. Everything was in order,” he said.

Isco then travelled to Germany to complete the deal, but he said the next morning when he was scheduled to complete his medical, things had changed.

“Already in the morning, in the car on the way to the hospital they tell me: 'In the end we can't register you in Europe'. And I said: 'You're telling me now?' Their answer was that they tried until the end and that it couldn't be, so well…”

He went on to explain that he passed his medical, but after that, the contract was changed again not once, but twice.

“The fact is that I passed the examination and on the way to sign the contract they called me again. 'Hey, in the end it's not this amount? It's less'.

“And I, for the second time, accept again those changes that were not in the pre-agreement for which I flew to Germany.

“But ten minutes later, they call me a third time saying that the amount for next season is not the same as the contract and that it needs to be revised.

“And that's when I stood up. I travelled with great expectations and excitement to a team that plays Europa League and in fifteen minutes they had changed half of my contract. A contract that was accepted and reviewed both by us and by them.

“It was a lack of respect. I'm not 18 years old, and it's not the first contract I've signed, so I said I wouldn't sign like that. If in twelve hours in Germany all that had happened, in a year I don't even want to think about it?

“I told them that I was very sorry and that I was going back to Spain, that it wasn't serious what was happening.”

What now for Isco?

Fast-forward to the present day, and Isco remains without a club despite the summer transfer window now being open.

He is not linked with many teams presently, although previous reports earlier this year stated that he had been offered to Premier League side Everton.

But Isco has stated that he has used the last few months to take part in therapy to try and clear his head and that he is now excited about returning to the pitch.

“Very good, looking forward to starting a new project and a new experience,” the 31-year-old said when asked about how he was feeling.

“I want to play football, to have fun, to compete, to show that I have good years of football left. I want to forget the bad experiences I've had and focus on the good ones to come.”

Given his quality and star power too, it should only be a matter of time before we see the Spanish playmaker back on the football pitch.