Exclusive MARCA interview with Isco: I'm speaking out again so that people know the truth about what happened

Spaniard details how his Real Madrid career slipped away from home in tell-all exclusive

Isco remains one of the most talented footballers of his generation. Seen by many in Spain as the likely candidate to break the Leo Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly of the Ballon d'Or award, just how sharply he fell out of form and favor at Real Madrid remains a topic of great conjecture.

Nobody other than Isco himself quite knows what happened, with it culminating in a failed move to Union Berlin in January, yet the player himself has now spoken to MARCA about the difficult chapters in his life.

Five years without giving an interview? Why?
I've tried to go a little bit under the radar. Lately I don't feel very comfortable in front of journalists, I don't like what part of the sports press has become, where first the 'news' is thrown out and then the facts are not checked. And in the end, we are people and when many of the things that are published are not true, they hurt you. They hurt your family, your children and that's why I've stayed out of it.

ave you had to bite your tongue a lot over the years?
Yes, many times. I didn't want to get involved in all the rumors and I think I have also been wrong. I think I have been wrong because people have to know first-hand what has happened. Many things have happened, many things that are my fault and others that are not so much my fault. And well, it's good to talk from time to time to take that weight off my shoulders, that little bug I carry inside me and so that people know what has happened.

Has this isolation been good for you personally and perhaps worse for you professionally?
Maybe. In the end I think that after so many years in football I have created a kind of armor in front of the press. I've had some clashes with journalists and that's why I've given priority to being calm, not getting into controversy and staying out of it. On the one hand, it's good, but on the other hand it's true that from time to time you have to show your face and in that sense, I think I've made a mistake. I haven't spoken for a long time and now it's time to do so.

Well, let's talk about everything.
Perfect.

You have just left the Crys Díaz & Co. training center, where you are doing your own pre-season. How many days a week do you come here?
I come from Monday to Friday and my personal trainer gives me my homework for the afternoons and weekends. I combine training with family life, children.... But I really want to play, to be honest. I miss it and I hope it will be soon.

Is it hard to come and train alone?
It is hard because I miss the ball a lot. But coming here I get out of the house, I interact with other people and I have a good time. They are fun training sessions all focused on football. It's what I get, I'm living a new experience.

But in the meantime, pre-season is starting. Don't you miss being there?
Yes, as I said I miss the ball, competing, the games, the locker room ... I miss feeling like a footballer. And well, it's true that I have offers, but I don't want to make a mistake or take another false step in my career. The important thing is that I still have the enthusiasm intact. I want to play, to compete, to have fun and I look forward to returning.

What offer are you waiting for?
A project in which I can have continuity, a team that wants to play football with a clear style, fun ... I'm at a point in my career where, after winning everything, what I want now is to enjoy. Of course, at a competitive level and if there are more titles to come, then even better. I'm young and I still have many years of football at a good level. Now it's up to me to prove it.

What are you going to prioritize?
A team with a competitive project and that tries to play good football. I will never give priority to money, if not, I would not have gone to Sevilla. I have and had many offers from Qatar and Arabia, with large salaries, but I want to play, compete and have fun.

Why is Isco in this situation, what has happened?
Many things have happened. I terminated my contract with Real Madrid and that preseason Lopetegui was in Sevilla. 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.

And what happens when Lopetegui is sacked?
Julen is sacked, Sampaoli comes in and that's fine too. But when Lopetegui leaves and the winter transfer window approaches, I see many strange things within 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. 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". I don't know what economic crisis Sevilla could have, but after that conversation everything went wrong. 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 then there was a bit of a conflict...

What happened?
I'm going to tell you something very strong. 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.

Did this happen in the club's offices?
This happened after training, on the way to the locker room.

And how do you react when a sporting director grabs you by the neck?
First of all, I pushed him away and then the security people separated us completely. I know that both Monchi and the club were going through delicate moments, but going beyond the barrier of violence is not something I could let happen. I was happy at Sevilla, I always played and although we were going through a complicated sporting moment, I was convinced that we were going to get through it, as in the end we did. But it is not like what is being said in many places, especially in the Seville press, where it is said that I got off the boat. Far from it. That doesn't enter into my mentality. I've been many years in Real Madrid and I've never given up, I've always tried to fight for a place, sometimes I've got it, sometimes I haven't? But to get off the boat in this life, never.

When you get home... What is that moment like?
I went home very hurt, because in the end I went to the club because Lopetegui had called me, telling me that he wanted me, that he loved me, that there was a good team... And I was delighted. I lowered my salary four times compared to what I was earning at Madrid and when I arrived, people at the club told me that Monchi didn't agree with my signing. I was going with the idea of playing with the coach who has always bet on me and to win over people who were not so confident, but this happened.... So, imagine how I got home afterwards. I'd been in Seville for four months, after moving house with three children... And then you suddenly find yourself with doubts about what's going to happen, where we're going to go, the schools? It's complicated, but you have to be strong and look forward.

Have you cried because of all this?
I haven't cried. It makes me very sad, but I feel that I have a privileged career, I have enjoyed a lot of football, I have won many titles.... This is a sport that I am passionate about. That it makes me sad? Yes. That I've been disappointed? Yes, I'm disappointed too. But I am aware of my privileged position and that there are people with really serious problems. I try to focus on that. I'm 31 years old and I still have the desire and enthusiasm to keep playing and I'm working for it.

And after this... The winter transfer window arrives, you're about to sign for Union Berlin and you break down on the last day. What happened?
In the end it's going to look like I'm just making excuses.

Don't worry, we'll talk about everything.
I'm to blame for many things, for having let myself get carried away on some occasions, for letting my arms down even in training because I felt overpowered, but what happened in Berlin? It was tremendous. At four o'clock in the afternoon on the last day of the transfer window, they call me and tell me that they have a team for me.

Jorge Mendes, who is your agent, called you, didn't he?
Yes, he called me and told me that he has Union Berlin, from Germany, with a very good offer until the end of the year with the option of a 1+1. I told him that in five minutes I would call him and I started to look a little above and to consult. They were doing very well in the Bundesliga, they were in the Europa League, the contract was good, the project looked good? So, I accepted. They sent me the contract and I forwarded it to my lawyer. Everything was in order. I packed my suitcase and travelled alone to Berlin, as it was impossible to organize the whole family's move in four hours, with two small children... And when I arrived, I was met by someone from the club. It was all done. I take my photos, wave to the camera... The usual. We made an appointment for the medical examination the next day.

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.... I passed the medical examination, which I did, although many people questioned it... A rather absurd question, as the Sevilla doctors can corroborate that my physical condition at that time was one of the best of my career. 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.

And you went back.
Yes, I went back. And then I felt that after everything that had happened, I needed to disconnect, clear my head.... Mentally I wasn't ready for another move, another project... I felt that I needed to stop, do therapy, sort out my mind, sort out my life, my thoughts...

I understand that you put yourself in the hands of a psychologist.
Yes. It's important to have professionals who can give you the tools to know how to manage your feelings, the conflicts you have with yourself and the people around you, with your profession... And well, that's where I am.

How do you feel now?
Very good, looking forward to starting a new project and a new experience. 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.

You know that you are going to have to fight also with everything that is going to be said about you when you come back to play.

I know that and I'm prepared. I know the profession in which I am, I understand that there may be doubts about my current state and my football, but I have always fulfilled. In Madrid I had very good years, in Málaga as well... At Sevilla, despite the situation of the team and the fact that I could have done better, I think I have performed. I've always given my all, I've played injured, I was one of those who ran the most in every game. I have always shown my commitment. At the end of the day, the statistics and the data of each match is not something that can be falsified. They are there. I think people need to know me personally and not believe anything they read. Today, you go on Twitter and anyone can just spout unverified, invented information and suddenly it goes viral and generates a unanimous opinion about you, about something that isn't true? You have to get to know people and know the bag they carry behind them. I'm calm now, really, I know I've been wrong many times and I know I can play at a high level again. I am ready.

In these months I know that your family has always been there supporting you, but have people, your football friends been interested in you?
Yes, some have been interested. I have made great friends and I have received messages and calls from people interested in me. I have received affection from that side, to be honest.