The former Real Madrid star whose market value went from €90m to €8m

Real Madrid are experiencing the start of a new era. There are still many familiar faces on the squad such as Luka Modric or Toni Kroos, but most of the players who helped them achieve multiple UEFA Champions League titles in the last decade are no longer at the club.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Sergio Ramos are probably the most famous stars who left the Spanish capital in recent years. But Los Blancos also lost other key contributors to their continental success.

Back in the day, Isco played a pivotal role in an already star-studded Real Madrid team. At some point he was one of the most valuable players on Earth, but those days are clearly far behind him as his price tag suffered a steep decrease.

Isco’s market value went downhill

According to Transfermarkt, the Spanish midfielder reached his highest market value on October 31, 2018, when his stock was €90 million. Flash-forward to October 2023, Isco is worth just €8 million.

Of course, many things happened in between – this significant change did not take place overnight. Five years ago, the Benalmadena-born star was playing at an incredibly high level for one of the biggest clubs on Earth. Now, at 31, he’s trying to get his career back on track at Betis.

But his market value started to decrease shortly after he reached his highest point. In December 2018, Isco’s worth dropped to €75 million. From then on, it went into free fall.

Isco finished 2019 being worth €50 million, and in November 2020, it plummeted to €20 million. He was still 28, but his role at Real Madrid was not the same anymore and that took a toll on his market value. By the time he left the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2022, Isco’s stock had already fallen to just €7.5 million.

Aiming to bounce back

Even though he wasn’t getting any younger, Isco still had time to revitalize his career after leaving Madrid at 30. Sevilla gave him that opportunity, but the veteran midfielder didn’t exactly seize it.

Since he had recorded 53 goals and 57 assists in 353 appearances for the Merengue, the Andalusia-based team thought Isco could fit very well into their plans. Besides, he was available for nothing.

However, he was a shell of himself at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, producing just one goal and three assists in 19 games. The club rescinded his deal after only four months, which eventually made his market value drop to €5m in March 2023.

Curiously, Isco landed a contract with Sevilla’s lifelong rivals Real Betis in the summer, and now is trying to prove his worth again. In 11 games at the Benito Villamarin, the former Real Madrid star boasts two goals and one assist.