Isco is adamant that Messi has been a Real Madrid fan since he was born – although in this case Messi is his dog and not the Barcelona star!

Isco, 24, joined Los Blancos in 2013 but by that time he had already named his Labrador after Argentine star Leo.

Isco open to Madrid departure “I named my dog 'Messi' because Messi is the best in the world, and so is my dog,” he explained while he was a Malaga player.

Back in May, he revealed that he was unable to take his dog out for walks as he felt he was unable to call for ‘Messi’ in the streets.

Asked in an interview with Cadena COPE whether his other dogs, Junior and Bubu, were Madrid fans, he replied: "Always. And Messi too, since he was born."