Convinced He Still Belongs With The Best, Free Agent Isco Rejects Roma

Lately, former Real Madrid playmaker Isco hasn’t been play-making much, and it seems he won’t be pulling the strings in Serie A any time soon as he attempts to reinvigorate his elite-level career before it passes.

Roma, the holder of the first Europa Conference League trophy, is going places under ex-Real manager José Mourinho and has reportedly shown interest in Isco. However, reports in Spain suggest this is not his next step (Spanish), with the Spaniard supposedly preferring to assess other possibilities.

The 30-year-old’s contract with Real ended at the close of June, meaning he is now at a crossroads. Lacking game time in recent seasons with the European champion, a move away is sure to happen for Isco, with no renewal agreed and the club issuing what appeared to be a goodbye statement. The midfielder announced his imminent departure too.

Injuries have derailed him most, and given the midfield caliber surrounding him, staying in Madrid was never an option if he wanted to step out of the relative soccer wilderness and return to the top level. At his peak, his balance and awareness on the ball have set him apart—one of the reasons Real cherry-picked him from Málaga nearly ten years ago.

In some ways, choosing Roma would have made sense. Assuming he keeps fit, Isco can play with the best and would have slotted nicely into Mourinho’s project in the Italian capital. Crucially, though, the side will not be playing Champions League soccer next season, with that competition reserved for the Europa League winner and those qualifying through their league standing. Roma finished sixth last term.

Indeed, if the player wants to win more elite trophies abroad, a move to Roma—which hadn’t claimed silverware in a decade and a half before beating Feyenoord earlier this summer—might not best match his ambitions. Hungry for more game time and prizes, the Benalmádena-born star is now pondering moves elsewhere.

Whatever occurs, the club will miss him, given how Isco and Real Madrid’s story is unique. Typically, when Real Madrid signs galácticos—prodigious talents that have characterized much of the team’s successes in Spain and Europe—these have tended to be the hottest prospects from abroad. In Isco’s case, it only had to look south to Andalusia to see an upcoming star on its doorstep. Then, a modest €30 million ($31 million) sealed his signature.

On the whole, Isco has been a fine addition, but his presence in and around the first team has gradually tailed off. Despite its unwavering success, the club hasn’t seen him at his consistent best for a while now. In the season gone by, he registered one goal in La Liga—at home to Mallorca—and one in the Copa del Rey, during a season in which he was only on the fringes of the first team.

His unavailability forms part of a bigger picture in Madrid. Los Blancos have made it to the summit, both on the field and in its unrivaled club value, while spending big money on injury-blighted players. The most obvious example is Eden Hazard, hoping for a more prominent role in white next season.

Isco has other ideas, though, and any club willing to take a punt could have a top player on its hands. The elite foreign teams would be taking a gamble on Isco, so perhaps a move back to his native Andalusia makes the most sense. The number ten would fit Real Betis—linked to Isco—very nicely, although a move to Champions League qualifier Sevilla may be the better move for the player.