Real Madrid had several key veteran players bounce back in the 2019-2020 season under Zinedine Zidane, but nobody improved more than Isco Here’s why.
Since being anointed as the world’s best young player while at Malaga, Real Madrid attacking midfielder Isco has carried a weight of expectations around him. And although it’s convenient for fans to be critical and surmise that he hasn’t met them, the truth is that when he’s healthy and consistently playing, he is one of the most dynamic and highly-rated midfielders in European football.
Last season, the Spanish international began the year slowly, shaking off rust and injuries. Isco was coming off a woeful 2018-2019 season under a carousel of managers who were subpar fits for Los Blancos in this day and age, but he was far from the only star player coming off a poor year.
Once Isco started rounding into health, he started rounding into form. The 28-year-old showed up in the biggest games of the first half of the season, making brilliant runs off the ball to disrupt PSG’s excellent midfield. Isco and Eden Hazard, together, were the difference between Real’s dominant 2-0 first half against PSG (before Hazard’s injury) and their embarrassing 3-0 loss at the Parc des Princes earlier that season.
He then had an even stronger game against FC Barcelona in the season’s first Clasico. Isco used his strong displays against Barcelona and PSG to build momentum into the second half of the season, where he broke out as one of the team’s best players.
Isco bossed Valencia in a convincing Spanish Supercup win. He helped carry the team to a dominant 4-1 victory in Pamplona against Osasuna after they went down early, as he kicked their previously lackluster performance into another gear with his passing and clever dribbling.
By the time Real Madrid faced Barcelona for a second time in 2019-2020, Isco was in his element. He should have scored a brace if it weren’t for Marc Andre ter Stegen’s world-class ability. Isco’s technique, swerving shots, and vision were all back at 100 percent for the biggest game of the season, as Isco played a key role with Vinicius Junior in a commanding 2-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu.
When football returns, Real Madrid know they can count on Isco, whom Zinedine Zidane has rightfully stood by. The versatile attacking midfielder has excelled on the left, on the right, and, of course, through the middle as a centerpiece player in Real’s attack. His quality jumps out now, as it should.
Isco is still in the prime of his career, and Los Blancos can even hold out a little hope for him to return to his special 2016-2017 form when he had 10 goals and eight assists in La Liga. In 2019-2020, Isco improved year-to-year better than anyone and proved to Madridistas that he still has plenty to offer.