MADRID: Real Betis’s playmaker Isco has fractured a tibia for the second time, the Seville club announced on social media on Sunday.

The 33-year-old former Real Madrid star broke his leg in a friendly against Malaga on Saturday.

The club said the injury was a “new non-displaced fracture to the middle third of his left fibula”.

Isco, who won the Champions League four times during his spell at Real Madrid, suffered the same injury in May 2024.

He returned last December and helped Betis to sixth in La Liga, and qualification for the Europa League, as well as skippering them in the Europa Conference League final where they lost 4-1 to Chelsea.

His form earned a recall to the Spanish national team for the first time since 2019.

He came on as a substitute and scored in the penalty shootout loss to Portugal in the Nations League final.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2025