Isco was quite clever in press conference. The Spanish press threw some curve balls at him but he stood tall and dribbled past them. Other than that, he left Real Madrid's number 11 free for the taking -Bale?- and received a warm welcome by the fans present at the Bernabéu.
There were questions about Isco's non-madridista past. And some fans could be worried about how he would handle these things in his first press conference. But Isco is quite smart, and when the journalists asked him about his dog's name -Messi- and his love for the club, the Spanish young star was brilliant.
[On why he didn't kiss the badge when the fans asked him to do so and his love for the club]
I just got here, I want to earn the honour of doing that by my performances on the pitch. I've always been a Málaga fan, but I'm the most madridista fan now and I will give everything for this shirt. Nobody will be able to question my commitment to the club.
Real Madrid currently need proffesional players. It happens sometimes that some madridistas think the club belongs to them. Real Madrid fans should only care about Isco's commitment to the shirt. His love for the club and the badge might come by itself later on. His brother does love Real Madrid though, as he kissed his brother's badge when he got on the pitch to get some pictures taken by his side.
[On his dog's name]
Yes, my dog's name is Messi. But I had one dog called Figo as well. I cannot change his name because he would not listen to me anymore.
This simply doesn't matter at all. To see a journalist asking this in a player's presentation is unbelievable. But welcome to Real Madrid, Isco.
[On interest from other clubs]
Yes, it's true. But I wanted to come to Madrid, it is impossible to say no to this team. Morata didn't have to convince me in this U21 Eurocup. I will play right where I want to play, so I'm grateful for that.
Manchester City wanted to land him, and it even seemed like they could have the edge over Madrid because of Manuel Pellegrini -former Isco's coach in Málaga-. But he chose Real Madrid instead.
[On his role in this team]
I can play whenever the coach wants me to play. I want to learn from Real Madrid's players, but I will also fight for the starting spot. This is a good chance for me, and I'm confident about my future performances. Yes, this is a good chance for me to be called to Brazil's 2014 FIFA World Cup.
As we stated in this article, Isco can play in many different places on the pitch. The Spanish readers might want to take a look at Ecos del Balon's article on Isco. Its author -David de la Peña- agreed with our take. It will be interesting to see where Ancelotti plans to deploy him first.