Isco

At 32 years old, Isco has this physical status:

Francisco Román Suárez (Spanish pronunciation: [fan rooman alae]; born 21 April 1992; [isko]) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Spanish team Sevilla.

He began his career at Valencia, mostly in its reserve team, before joining Málaga in 2011. His work at Málaga earned him the Golden Boy Award in 2012 and a €30 million transfer to Real Madrid in June 2013, where he has won 20 major trophies, three La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey, and four FIFA Club World Cup titles.

Isco appeared at various youth championships, including at the 2012 Olympics, and made his senior international debut in 2013 before competing in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

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Club career

Isco was born in Benalmádena, Málaga, Andalusia. He played for Atlético Benamiel, where his teammates included Charlie I'Anson. He played for Valencia's youth system from 2009–10 seasons with the club's reserve team in Segunda División B, netting once in 26 games and suffering relegation.

Although still registered with the reserves, Isco made his debut with the first team against Logron in the 2010-11 Copa del Rey, scoring two goals in a 4–1 home victory (Paco Alcácer made his senior debut in the same match). After arriving as a replacement for Aritz Aduriz in a 2–0 home win over Getafe, he later made three more league appearances and two more in the UEFA Champions League, bringing the B-team's third-level to the third level by scoring 15 goals in their campaign.

Isco signed a five-year deal with Málaga in mid-July 2011, the club's buy-out provision of €6 million was activated. He scored his first goal for his new squad, starting with a 3–1 victory over Racing de Santander in November 2011 and ending his first season with 32 games and five goals in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in history.

Isco scored twice in Málaga's first game in the Champions League group stage on September 18, 2012, after being named Man of the Match for the first time. He scored his first goal in an eventual 3–2 win over Real Madrid in La Rosaleda on December 22, winning the first match against the locals in 29 years; in December, he earned the Golden Boy award, defeating Stephan El Shaarawy and Thibaut Courtois.

Isco put an end to rumors over his future by completing a new deal with Málaga on January 28. His new buyout clause was set at €35 million. On 13 March, he scored his 11th goal of the season, netting the opener in a 2–0 home win over Porto, which was good enough for last-eight qualification after the 0–1 loss at the Estádio do Drago.

On June 17, 2013, Isco revealed that he had received invitations from Real Madrid and former Málaga chief Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City, but that he would not reach a final decision until the UEFA European Under-21 Championship final. Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez reported on June 26 that a deal had been reached with the player and that he would be announced by the club next week if he passed his medical; the next day, he signed a five-year deal, making it the first signing of newly appointed manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Isco made his official debut for the Merengues on August 18, 2013, providing an assist and scoring the winning goal in a 2–1 home win over Real Betis, with the latter winning by an 85th-minute header. He maintained his form by scoring two goals against Athletic Bilbao on September 1st (3–1, also at the Santiago Bernabéu).

Despite continuing to score regularly when listed, Isco was denied a spot in the first squad due to the 4–3–3 layout not being suitable for his style, but Ancelotti said it was "a temporary issue." In his first season, he scored 11 goals in 53 official games, including 61 minutes in the Champions League final, which beat Atlético Madrid in Lisbon by 4–1.

Isco won by 4–1 over Almera in the first game of the 2014-15 season, and Isco won for the first time in the first game of the 2014-15 season. He was a regular starter in the club's FIFA Club World Cup winning season, scoring the first time against Cruz Azul in a 4–0 semi-final routing. His performances over the year earned him many accolades, and he was compared to Zinedine Zidane by the French king himself.

Isco converted his shirt number from 23 to 22, which he had worn at Málaga prior to the start of the 2015-16 season. Real lost 0–4 at home to Barcelona in El Clásico on November 21, 2015, when he was dismissed in the 84th minute for a foul on Neymar. In the first leg of the domestic cup, he scored twice on December 2nd, as the team defeated 3–1 at Cádiz. In the final played at the San Siro in Milan, Italy, Isco was a part-time starter when the team defeated Atlético Madrid 5–3 on penalties.

Real Madrid won the La Liga crown in 2016-2017, defeating Juventus 4–1.

Isco scored a goal in the 2017 UEFA Super Cup on August 8, 2017, contributing to Real Madrid's 2–1 victory over Manchester United. He was named Man of the match for his efforts, earning him the man of the match award. He signed a new Real Madrid contract in September 2017 until June 2022. He made eleven appearances in the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League as Madrid defeated Liverpool 3-1 in Kyiv, winning their third consecutive and 13th overall Champions League crown. Real Madrid defeated Real Madrid in the 2019-20 La Liga, with 23 appearances during the league season. He was not a key player under Carlo Ancelotti as Real Madrid triumphed in 2021–22 La Liga and the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League in the 2021-21 season. Isco revealed on social media on May 30th that he was leaving the club after nine years.

Sevilla announced on August 7, 2022, that the club had reached an understanding in principle for the signing of Isco, with the player agreeing to a two-year deal.

International career

In 2009, Isco scored three times in the process, while the country finished third, with Spain's U17 placing third. He represented his country in 2011 in the U-20 World Cup in Colombia, with Málaga teammate Recio scoring one goal in a potential quarter-final departure.

Isco was called to the Spain under-23s team for a friendly against Egypt on February 28, 2012, but did not leave the bench. He was selected for the first time as part of Serbia and South Korea's senior team on May 15th, but he did not participate in either match. He joined the Under-23 team in London in July, beginning all of Spain's games without scoring a single goal.

Isco made his debut with the main squad in a 3–1 victory over Uruguay in Doha, Qatar, on February 6th. He appeared in the final and finished the tournament with the Bronze Boot (3 Goals) and made the team of the tournament as a key player for the eventual champions this year.

Isco scored his first international goal for Spain in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier versus Belarus in Huelva on November 15, 2014, a 3–0 win.

In a 6–1 friendly victory, Isco scored his first hat-trick for Spain on March 27, netting three goals against Argentina.

He was selected in Spain's final squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in May 2018. In a dramatic 2–2 draw, he scored his first and only goal in the last group stage match against Morocco. His efforts helped the team qualify in the second round as group champions.

Isco was omitted from Spain's 26-man squad for UEFA Euro 2020, aged 2021.

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