Isco has credited taking care of his mental health as the contributing factor behind an excellent start to life with Real Betis.
The 31-year-old Spanish midfielder had been without a club since his departure from Sevilla in December 2022 before joining Los Verdiblancos on a one-year deal last month.
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He’s since been an ever-present under Manuel Pellegrini, who Isco previously worked under at Malaga, starting both of their opening La Liga games: a 2-1 win at Villarreal before a goalless home draw with Atlético Madrid last time out.
In that showdown against Diego Simeone’s men, Isco was named player-of-the-match after completing 60 of his 61 passes. Following a tumultuous few months, which saw a reported move to Union Berlin break down, Isco feels he’s returning to form after taking out time for himself.
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Por segunda jornada consecutiva… ???. pic.twitter.com/DyLNjVzS6o
— Real Betis Balompié ?? (@RealBetis) August 21, 2023
“I am feeling good, I am very happy to arrive at a club like Real Betis, the reception from the fans, the teammates and the coach is very good, and I feel very happy, with the desire to show things, to help my team. We are just starting and I hope everything goes great. I’m better than I expected. It’s been a long time without competing, but hey, I’m feeling good. I still think I have more strength to gain, more legs, but the coach is taking care of me. Happy and that’s it, we have to continue and hopefully everyone can enjoy themselves and have a very good year,” he told DAZN.
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“I have had difficult moments, in the end I decided to stop for a while because I needed it. I needed to mentally recycle myself a bit. I have had family help, psychological help, and in the end mental health is very important. My passion is football and I am happy to continue enjoying my profession. I had gone through difficult times, with everything that has happened to me, which I already told. Then the thing about my transfer that went wrong in Germany. Many bad things, I had many offers, but I felt that I was not prepared and I have recycled myself. I have worked physically and mentally and now I’m ready and wanting to play football, which is what I like.”