If Zinedine Zidane sends Isco onto the Estadio Mendizorroza turf this Saturday afternoon then the Andalusian midfielder will be making his 200th appearance in a Real Madrid shirt.
This milestone could hardly come at a better time for the player, at least on an individual level, as he is in excellent form and has just agreed a new deal with the capital city club, extending his contract to 2022.
It wasn’t always so rosy for Isco at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, as he struggled for playing time immediately after his 2013 move from Malaga, but now he has become a regular starter.
He was even playing so well and so frequently that he was closing in on Emilio Butragueno’s club record of 50 matches unbeaten, but the midweek Real Betis defeat left that run of undefeated appearances at 45.
In total, Isco has won 150 of his 199 outings so far, losing just 22 times and drawing 27, while he has netted 34 goals and set up a further 47.
It will be a special moment for the player when he makes that 200th appearance, but also for his coach, as Zidane is the one who has got Isco playing the best football of his still-young Real Madrid career.
