Real Madrid drama: Ronaldo wants to push Isco out
By Cay North
Isco’s time at Real Madrid may end soon, as club legend Ronaldo wants to push him out in favor of Marco Asensio.
For the last couple of years, Real Madrid has seen a position battle between three star players: Isco, Gareth Bale, and more recently, Marco Asensio. On paper, it looks like Gareth Bale is the top player in the group, but his injuries have frequently kept him out of the lineup and allowed other players to compete for his spot.
Both Isco and Asensio have put in good performances at the left-wing position, but Isco has more of an up and down reputation and Asensio is known for performing well in a limited number of appearances.
The position battle, however, could be ended up a third-party. Cristiano Ronaldo has voiced his opinion, and according to Don Balon, he has told club President Florentino Perez that Isco is a “rotten apple” who should lose his spot. Ronaldo has backed Asensio, who was compared to him many times during Real Madrid’s run in the Champions League.
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Ronaldo has also said that Gareth Bale should start on the wing if Asensio is kept on the bench. Bale, of course, has played with Ronaldo for a longer time than the other two attackers. Both Bale and Isco arrived in 2013, but at that time, Bale was already a superstar and Isco was considered a prospect for the future.
Because of Bale’s injuries, Isco has featured more times for Madrid. He has 140 appearances for the club compared to 105 from Bale. Asensio has far less experience than either player, only appearing in 34 matches since moving from Mallorca in 2014, but has already played well on the biggest stages.
Interestingly enough, both Bale and Ronaldo are linked to transfer rumors. Ronaldo should carry a lot of influence as the all time leading scorer, but if the club is seriously considering moving on from him, that might not be the case.
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Regardless, Asensio is dealing with muscular problems and won’t return to action until December 11, according to Transfermarkt. Once he makes his return, the talks of Isco being forced out may pick up speed for real.