Scout Report: Isco – The next in line to become a part of Spain’s best ever side

I decided to give you a brief report of Isco – Málaga’s rising talent – before his amazing first appearance in the Champions League last Tuesday.

Born in Benalmádena, a coastal town in the Andalusian province of Málaga, but a product of Valencia’s youth system, many people thought that Málaga CF was doing a stupid thing last year by paying six million euros for a boy who had only played four games with Valencia’s first team. Now, it seems a bargain.

He’s only 20 years of age, but after all we’ve seen of him in the last 12 months, I can say without any doubt that Francisco Roman Alarcon – his real name – is gifted with the quality and the winner mentality of the best Spanish generation in history, the double Euro and World Champions, that the likes of Iniesta, Xavi, Silva, Cesc or Cazorla possess.

We can define Isco as a modern ‘fantasista’, an Italian term used to name very special players; those from you can expect anything and everything when they are near the box. Isco can choose the perfect pass, do a great dribble and, not many in Spain are capable of this, unleash a shot on goal with tremendous power and control.

He can now be considered one of the key Málaga CF players (along with Toulalan and Joaquín Sánchez) and maybe the best rising star in Spanish football. At 20, only Cesc could feel of such importance and distinction as Isco currently does, while he was still plying his trade at Arsenal.

At this age, Xavi, Iniesta or Silva were not even key players at Barcelona and Valencia – respectively- and Cazorla didn’t even play for Villarreal, because at 21 he was sold (and returned a year later) to humble Recreativo Huelva.

If nothing out of the ordinary happens, Vicente del Bosque is going to select Isco for Spain’s next national team call-up in October. I’ve no doubt about that.

Written by Jose Antonio Espina