The Cult Hero of Celta de Vigo
A statistical analysis of an incredible season by Iago Aspas
In a mysterious part of the Iberian region, where tales and legends consume every thought of those who call it home, the Galician shores are not for the faint-hearted.
Eerie and equally as gloomy, life there is unforgiving. To survive there, you need to carry a spirit in your heart crafted in part by the stories that govern your daily life at the mercy of the unpredictable Isles.
In every legendary tale, there needs to be a hero and for Galicia, when it comes to football, this title goes rightfully so to Iago Aspas.
A saviour amongst the harsh way of life, Aspas has become more than a legend for those who support Celta de Vigo. He has transcended flesh and bone and has become seemingly part of their folklore, a part of the Galician spirit that you can’t explain but which is ever so present amongst the people who call the tip of the Iberian Peninsula home.
Of course, the common football fan knows him as the flop at Liverpool some years ago, with what is a spell that can only be described as disastrous. But, upon returning to the homeland, Aspas has carved out a reputation of being of such lethality that he is often lauded as one of the most efficient scorers of all of the Santander. Sparked by the feeling likened only to martyrdom, the Spaniard consistently outperforms expectations of a reputation that has been unfairly used to criticise him.
Upon researching the incredible season that the 34-year-old just had, with his contributions bettered only by Jose Luis Morales and the incredible pairing of Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema, I asked a good friend of mine, and avid watcher of the Spanish game, Timo (not Glock/Werner) to describe his preceding season and the conversation went a little like this:
ME: “What can you tell me about Iago Aspas?”
THEM: “What exactly would you like me to tell you? He’s the GOAT”
In conclusion, his impact?
Indescribable and incredible. You need to witness it to believe it.
The above visualisation illustrates just how pivotal Iago Aspas is to Celta de Vigo’s attack as he has consistently performed above the average of the league in both underlying assists and goals (with penalties taken into account).
Somehow a constant thorn in the side of the big three teams (Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona), Aspas’ contributions cannot be denied and neither can his consistency. While the above visualisation highlights his overperformance of underlying measures as a forward, the fact of the matter is, he has always done so for at least the past 3 seasons.
From that fateful season in 2009 where he debuted off the bench and scored a brace to save his side from relegation down to Segunda B, the story of Iago Aspas — the hero of Galicia had begun.
Now, the Celta loyalist looks once more to lead his team to glory before retiring at a club and a fanbase that adores him to no end.
Savvy to exceeding expectations, the tale of Iago Aspas is a long and arduous one, but it is one that deserves the limelight, independent from the isolation of the Isles.
Double figures of goals scored in the past seven campaigns in a row and clearly no signs of stopping despite his age pushing the latter 30s. Perhaps for Eduardo Coudet and Celta, an 11th place finish in the 2021-22 season can turn into a miracle European push on the back of Aspas’ sublime scoring record.
With a contribution rate this high, who knows what may happen next season as the hopes and dreams of his followers lay on the shoulders of their hero once again.
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