Iago Aspas

At 36 years old, Iago Aspas has this physical status:

Iago Aspas Juncal (born 1 August 1987) is a professional footballer who plays for RC Celta de Vigo and the Spain national team as a striker. He has played in 308 official games over ten years, scoring 138 goals during his career.

In 2012, he made his La Liga debut with the club but then moved to Liverpool the following year, returning to Celta in 2015. Aspas made his first appearance with the Spain senior team in 2016.

At the 2018 World Cup, he represented the country.

Personal life

Jonathan, Aspas' older brother, was also a footballer. He also came from Celta's youth system. In their native area, their cousin, Aitor, had smaller teams.

Aspas's two children with his wife Jennifer Rueda, whom he married in June 2019.

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Club career

Aspas was born in Moaa, province of Pontevedra, Galicia. He made his debut with the team in Segunda División in 2007–08, then played in his second game against Deportivo Alavés on June 6th, being a 59th-minute replacement until relegation was over. When he was 17, he was loaned to Rápido de Bouzas, where he spent his penultimate year as a youth.

Aspas was promoted from the reserves from 2009 to 2010, and the Galicians' second tier campaign saw him continue in several more campaigns. He scored a career-best 23 league goals in the 2011–12 season, second-best in the league, behind UD Almer's Leonardo Ulloa as Celta returned to La Liga after a five-year absence. He was named the best forward and Zarra Trophy winner for the category as a result of his appearances.

Aspas made his top flight debut against Málaga CF on August 18, 2012, starting with a 0–1 home loss. He scored his first goal in the tournament the following month, helping the team avoid relegation in the final matchday.

Aspas was dismissed after half an hour for headbutting Carlos Marchena on March 15, 2013 during the 3–1 loss to Deportivo de La Corua.

It was widely reported that a fee for Aspas to join Liverpool had been decided between £7 and 9, depending on personal terms and a medical. Both clubs decided to a deal in principle to sign the player subject to completion of documentation; however, this was delayed when his former agent requested that the Royal Spanish Football Federation withhold international recognition as a result of a dispute regarding his representation; the player was ultimately concluded on June 23rd, and he was given the number 9 shirt.

Aspas scored his first goal and assisted Raheem Sterling in a 4–0 pre-season friendly victory over Preston North End on July 13. In a 1–0 win over Stoke City at Anfield on August 17th, he made his Premier League debut on August 17th, alongside Daniel Sturridge.

In a 2–0 victory over Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup on January 5, Aspas scored his first competitive goal for the Reds on January 5th. Philippe Coutinho, Sterling, Sturridge, and Luis Suárez finished second, despite his poor knowledge of the English language during his time as the Reds advanced to second place in second place.

Aspas returned to his homeland on July 14, 2014, being loaned to Sevilla FC in a season-long move and with a three-year contract as a subsequent mandatory option. After a 66 minutes of an eventual 0–2 loss to Real Madrid, he made his competitive debut on August 12th in the 2014 UEFA Super Cup at the Cardiff City Stadium, defeating fellow debutant Aleix Vidal.

Aspas appeared in the league for the first time on September 14, 2014, beating Getafe CF in the final seven minutes. In a 2–2 draw at HNK Rijeka for the UEFA Europa League group stage, his first goal for his new club came on October 2nd as he opened the score. He played the full 90 minutes and grabbed a hat-trick against CE Sabadell FC, causing a 6–1 victory in the second leg, with a treble in the tournament's second leg, with seven goals between him and FC Barcelona's Neymar.

Aspas' first league goal came on February 1, 2015, when the winner over RCD Espanyol emerged 3–2 defeated Sevilla. He had shot Kiko Casilla outside of the penalty area early in the game, resulting in the goalkeeper's dismissal.

Sevilla signed Aspas from Liverpool as part of the two clubs' deal on June 12, 2015, and the player was sold straight back to Celta on the same day, with the player agreeing to a five-year contract six days later for a €5 million fee. In a 4–1 home victory over Barcelona over the weekend, he scored twice.

Aspas was the La Liga Player of the Month for October 2016, scoring five goals, including braces, in a 4–1 win over Deportivo and a 3-3 draw with UD Las Palmas, in addition to a goal and assist in a 4–3 victory over reigning champions Barcelona. In the Europa League last-32 second leg, he scored a last-minute penalty, triggering extra time for the Spaniards, with the Spaniards advancing victorious.

Aspas scored on a penalty in a 2–2 home draw against Real Sociedad on May 21, 2017, scoring a personal-best 19 goals and winning the Zarra Trophy in the process. He was the league's top-scoring Spaniard at 22, behind only Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luis Suárez overall. In a 5–2 victory at UD Las Palmas on October 16th and a 4–0 loss of former Deportivo the following day, in addition to a brace's 3–1 victory over Athletic Bilbao, he scored hat-tricks on November 16, 2017, marking his sixth in their all-time scorers.

Aspas was out for three months from the start of December, when Celta slipped from ninth place to 18th in the table, as a result of a calf injury. He scored twice in a 3–2 victory over Villarreal on his return to the team on March 30, 2019 in what was also his 300th game for the team, and on April 17, he signed a new deal until 2023, the club's centennial year.

Aspas's first goal from 209 games was scored on June 24, 2020; only four players since the Spanish Civil War had done so sooner. In his 339th overall match, he reached 150 for Celta, a 2–2 home draw with Barcelona. In a 5–1 away loss against RCD Mallorca on June 30, he scored a century of top-flight goals for the club.

With his 105th goal for the team in the top division and taking a 69-year record from Hermidita, Aspas scored in a 3–1 home loss to Real Sociedad on November 1, 2020. He was named the best in the league for December, contributing to eight of Celta's 11 goals in five games as he went unbeaten in five games. He had scored at least 14 times in the sixth year in a row. According to various reports, his 160th goal for Celta either tied Nolete as the club's highest scorer of all time or surpassed founding member Ramón Polo as the club's highest scorer of all time.

Aspas scored a brace on Friday to help his team bounce back from 3–0 down to a 3–3 draw against Barcelona, with a goal in the sixth minute of added time.

International career

Aspas, as well as Michu, were set to be called up by manager Vicente del Bosque for their debut with the Spanish national team on February 6, 2013 in an exhibition game with Uruguay in Doha, Qatar, where they met for the first time. However, neither team was selected for the match's final squad.

Aspas earned his first cap under new coach Julen Loegui, who brought Juan Mata to England's second half of the 2–2 friendly draw against England, who was charged and scoring his team's first goal. On March 24, he made his competitive debut for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, defeating Israel in the last six minutes.

Aspas was included in the 23-man squad for the World Cup finals in Russia. Diego Costa, who had scored twice in the final 14 minutes of the 3–3 group-stage draw against Portugal, scored a backheel against Morocco on June 15th, helping his team draw 2–2 against Morocco and advance to the knockout phase as group champions.

Aspas was one of two Spanish players to miss his chance against Russia in the round-of-16 penalty shootout in Moscow on July 1, 2018.

In a 1–1 friendly draw with Venezuela on May 20, Aspas represented Galicia in the region's first match in eight years, scoring in a 1–1 friendly draw with Venezuela on 20 May 2016.

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