MADRID // Real Madrid playmaker Isco insists he wants to stay at “the best club in the world” despite being courted by Barcelona and a host of Premier League clubs.
The Spanish international starred by scoring twice, including a 90th-minute winner, as a much-changed Madrid side remained three points clear of Barcelona at the top of the Primera Liga with a 3-2 win over Sporting Gijon on Saturday.
“I am at the best team in the world, there is no bigger team than Madrid and I feel fortunate,” Isco said. “I want to stay here for a long time.”
The 24-year-old midfielder is out of contract at the end of next season which has reportedly sparked the interest of Madrid’s rivals Barca.
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And despite 10 goals in all competitions this season he remains a fringe player with manager Zinedine Zidane preferring a midfield three of Casemiro, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.
“You know what I think of Isco; he is a player I like a lot and his place is here,” Zidane said. “There are 24 players and it will always be unfair for those that don’t play.
“That is the difficult part of this job, leaving very good players on the bench.”
Isco was one of nine changes Zidane made to his starting line-up with the second leg of their Uefa Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich on Tuesday in mind.
However, even without the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, Madrid for the umpteenth time this season found a late winner to remain on course for a first Liga title in five years.
And Zidane rejected suggestions Madrid have got lucky with their late shows this season.
“There is no such thing as luck in football, it is down to hard work and effort in every game,” he said. “You have to make your own luck. With the team we have we can cause damage to any team.
“It is in our DNA to fight until the end at Real Madrid and today we pulled it off.”
Isco also hailed Madrid’s DNA to fight till the end, but accepted the European champions made life difficult for themselves against relegation threatened Sporting.
“We didn’t control the game like we should have,” he added. “They went ahead on two occasions, but this is the spirit of Real Madrid and we have shown it once more.
“It is in the DNA of this shirt and this badge, we have shown it so many times and again today. Until the referee blows the full-time whistle it is not over.”
* Agence France-Presse
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