Real Betis star makes Champions League history with incredible appearance record

Analysis

FT Desk

You may not know it, but Isco is one of the most successful players in the history of the Champions League.

In fact, with five Champions League titles to his name, there are only two men who can better that tally: Luka Modric (6) and Dani Carvajal (6).

Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Toni Kroos also have five alongside Isco, but Isco did not make an appearance in one of the finals.

That is quite the company to be in, but when it comes to one specific achievement, he stands above the rest.

This week, Isco played for Real Betis in the club's first Champions League fixture for two decades as they travelled to France to face Lille. What a night it proved to be, too, as they ran out 3-2 winners thanks to a pair of headers from Marc Bartra and a fine finish from summer signing Troy Parrott.

What was significant for Isco is that he became the first player in Champions League history to play for five different clubs from the same country in the competition.

He previously played for Valencia in the 2010-11 season, Malaga in 2012-13, Real Madrid between 2013 and 2021 and then Sevilla in 2022/23.

Isco began his senior career with Valencia before really breaking through at Malaga. He joined Malaga in 2011 and quickly became one of Spain’s most exciting young midfielders.

He was outstanding in Malaga’s 2012–13 Champions League run, helping them reach the quarter-finals, and his performances earned him a €30 million move to Real Madrid in 2013.

Isco spent nine seasons in the capital and enjoyed the most successful period of his career there, winning those aforementioned Champions League titles, four La Liga titles and numerous other trophies, although he was never an automatic starter because of the competition for places in Madrid's midfield and attack.

After leaving in 2022, he had a difficult spell at Sevilla, but revived his career after joining Real Betis in 2023. He became a key player again and helped Betis win the 2025 Conference League.