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Thu 25 November 2021 | 17:30

Top Facts about Iago Aspas, The Celta Star

In Top Facts about Iago Aspas, we’ll be going over the major events in the footballer’s private life and also his professional career and generally the things that got him where he is now.

Despite the fact that Aspas's time at Liverpool and Sevilla was not as fruitful as he had hoped, his time there was vital in his growth as a player. He is a distinguished, cultured, and versatile player for Celta, and he leads by example.

He had the pleasure of playing with Suarez, Coutinho, Sterling, and Steven Gerrard at Liverpool, where he only netted once in 15 games in 2013/14.

Aspas played behind their striker, usually Sturridge, and alongside Coutinho and

Jordan Henderson

in Brendan Rodgers' 4-2-3-1 formation at the start of that season. He was the most advanced forward in another 4-2-3-1 in his one season at Sevilla, under Unai Emery.

However, it is only with Celta that he has finally reached his full potential. Only Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luis Suarez scored more goals in La Liga in 2017/18 than Aspas's 22 – and he's been able to exhibit his technical abilities on a more consistent basis. Regardless, his biggest strength is his grasp of the game.

He can play in a number of attacking positions thanks to this understanding, and he's good at sliding away from his starting position to find space. He can play at center-forward, either on his own or in a two or further from goal, as a right-sided forward or a second striker who seeks to receive the ball between the lines.

Top Facts about Iago Aspas Worth Knowing About

The quick facts below are a general overview of the Spanish player’s profile.

Quick Facts

  • Full Name:

     Iago Aspas Juncal

  • Nicknames:

     El Turco

  • Date of Birth:

     1 August 1987

  • Place of Birth:

     Moana, Spain

  • Age:

     34

  • Nationality:

     Spanish

  • Height:

     1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)

  • Weight:

     67 kg

  • Marital Status:

     Married

  • Wife: 

    Jennifer Rueda

  • Market Value: 

    €9.00m

  • Position:

     Striker

  • Current Team:

     Celta

  • Jersey Number:

     10

Iago Aspas Upbringing Years and Family Roots

To begin, Iago Aspas Juncal is his entire name. Iago Aspas was born on August 1, 1987, to Mara Juncal Gonzalez and Urbe Aspas Martnez, his mother, and father.

He was born in the Spanish municipality of Moana, which is famous for its lovely beaches and coastline.

Iago has a proportionate mixing of Spanish and Arabic face appearance, based on his looks. From the perspective of a Spaniard, he resembles Andres Iniesta.

According to a reliable source, the footballer's family is of Arabian and Lebanese ethnicity, one of the Top Facts about Iago Aspas.

This explains why he is sometimes referred to as "El Turco" among football fans.

Urbe Martnez, Iago Aspas's father, immigrated to Spain with his parents when he was a small child.

Every member of his family, including Iago, is now a true native of Moana, Spain.

Martinez and Maria Aspas, the parents of Iago Aspas, are proud of their four children, particularly Iago, who, along with his brothers, consented to play football from an early age.

Iago Aspas grew up with his three brothers, Jonathan, himself, Pablo, and Urbe, the oldest of the family. All three brothers began their football careers with CD Moana, their hometown club.

Jonathan finished his football career at the Cyprus League. Urbe joined Alondras, a football team situated in Cangas, in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain, as a goalkeeper.

Urbe is currently a laboratory technician and clinical assistant, having retired from football.

Pablo, the youngest, tried to concentrate on football but was unable to achieve his goal of becoming a professional.

Iago also grew up with his cousin Aitor, who played for a local team in their hometown. Cristobal Juncal, his uncle, also played in the Celta lower divisions.

Despite all of them, it was our very own Spanish football lover who had the most success, one of the Top Facts about Iago Aspas.

Iago Aspas Career Buildout

During his time with Moana academy, he was called "the small boy of Moana" and had the opportunity to try out for Celta academy, the biggest Spanish football club based in Vigo, Galicia.

To attend the football trial, Iago had to travel roughly fifteen kilometers from his house to Vigo. This was a time when the Celta de Vigo academy was particularly focused on catching kids his age.

One of the

Top Facts about Iago Aspas

is that the young lad was disappointed when he arrived in Vigo and was told that the football test was only for kids born in 1986, along with his parents and uncle who accompanied him. In his words:

“I COULD NOT STOP CRYING. I WAS CONVINCED THAT I HAD TO GO HOME EMPTY.

HOWEVER, MY UNCLE, CRISTOBAL JUNCAL CONVINCED ME TO LIE TO THEM SAYING..: “JUST TELL THEM YOU’RE 86 AND THAT’S IT.” SO I LIE TO THEM AND THEY BOUGHT IT.”

Only looking at Iago's face convinced the

Celta de Vigo

academy technician that he had all the proof he needed to let the tiny kid proceed to the trial.

Because of his tough build, the little player appeared to be a year older. His left-footed skill did not go unnoticed either.

Finally, Iago was put to the test, but the results were delayed. It was his first time playing football on a synthetic or artificial pitch, and he arrived unprepared. 

Surprisingly, the phone rang half an hour after he arrived home with his parents and uncle.

Celta's academy office called to inform his parents that their son had been selected for the youth team. This brought joy and happiness to the Iago Aspas family.

They, on the other hand, never considered one scenario. When they take him for formal registrations, they will have to present paper documentation of his age. This was the start of a new fear for the Aspas family.

As the footballer's parents, Martnez and Mara, prepared to send their son to the academy, they were still worried. This anxiety stemmed from Aspas's uncle Cristobar persuading their son to lie about his age during the Celta trial.

But a decision has to be taken. They all decided to reveal their son's age and ask the academy technician not to reject him, one of the Top Facts about Iago Aspas.

Surprisingly, the Celta academy technician was unconcerned by Iago Aspas's early lie. This was because he became convinced that he had found a genius in Iago.

According to the outcomes of the trial, Aspas stood out among the other children who competed for the same position based on their true age.

The tiny football passionate joined the Celta de Vigo academy when he was eight years old, in 1995.

His life at the academy was defined by the soccer ball, which he carried with him everywhere he went. In Iago's hometown, the Celta story sparked a mini-football revolution. 

Everyone in the Aspas family became interested in taking a trial test and joining Iago in Celta. Only Jonathan, out of all the brothers, met the criteria for going through the trials.

Celta, luckily, accepted him as well, and the two lads became full members of the Celta academy. Because Aspas's parents did not own a car, he and his brother had to find another way to come to trainings.

Another one of the interesting Top Facts about Iago Aspas is that they had to share the cost of gas by following a teammate whose father owned a car.

Both brothers were watched after in the academy by the God-sent academy technician, to whom Aspas had once lied about his age.

The kid was able to make his way through Celta's lowest ranks. He rose through the ranks of the academy through numerous age groups.

Aspas's style, gestures, improvisation, and ease of dribbling make him a bright future prospect.

Celta had to send him on loan to Rapido Bouzas during the 2004–2005 season, where he developed as a striker, prepared to be made professional.

In 2006, Iago made his debut for Celta B's reserve team. After two seasons, he was promoted to the Celta senior team, where he remained until 2013 when

Liverpool

came calling.

Iago Aspas Path to Prominence

Aspas came to England in the hopes of being able to adjust to a new environment. The first obstacle he faced was his inability to learn English, another one of the

Top Facts about Iago Aspas.

Second, he was pushed aside in favor of Philippe Coutinho, Sterling, Sturridge, and Luis Suarez.

Steven Gerrard

, his teammate and captain had an inferiority complex about Aspas.

In his autobiography, Steven Gerrard expressed his concerns regarding Aspas's fit for the Premier League.

When he first saw him in the Liverpool dressing room, he had this notion. Gerrard likened his physique to that of "a little boy."

He had no idea that he and Aspas would be engaged in their Premier League title being taken away from them by Manchester City through Chelsea.

Iago appeared in fourteen games for

Liverpool

and scored zero goals.

On 5 January 2014, the young soccer player finally netted his first competitive goal for the Reds in a 2–0 FA Cup win over Oldham Athletic. 

Sadly, he will be known for his terrible corner against Chelsea, which allowed Willian to race down the other end and score, one of the Top Facts about Iago Aspas.

Liverpool's title hopes were shattered by his error. Iago Aspas was named among the worst players to represent Liverpool during the

Premier League

era as a result of this mistake.

Sevilla offered him a loan back to Spain, but the Spaniard was not happy on the pitch when he returned to his homeland.

Sevilla signed Aspas from Liverpool on 12 June 2015 as part of a deal between the two clubs, but sold him back to Celta on the same day, with the player consenting to a five-year contract for €5 million six days later.

After being captured on camera having a bitter verbal confrontation with Unai Emery on the bench during one of their games, Iago Aspas was rejected by

Sevilla

.

From that point forward, everything was clear for the striker. He needed to return to Celta Vigo, where his football career began.

Iago Aspas Ascend to Prominence

Iago returned to Galicia and his beloved Celta, where he was hailed by Celta fans. There was no other moment than back then for him to make things right.

The Moana-born prayed to the gods of football before his first game, and they answered them. From that point on, he rose to the occasion to become Spain's most lethal frontman.

One of the Top Facts about Iago Aspas is that he became so goal crazy after scoring one that he would celebrate with anything, including the concealed media camera. He was destined to be brilliant.

Iago went on to win the La Liga Player of the Month award in October 2016 in the presence of the world's finest players,

Lionel Messi

and Christiano Ronaldo. As a result of this achievement, he was called up to the Spanish national squad.

On June 24, 2020, Aspas produced the only goal at Real Sociedad to make it 100 La Liga goals in 209 games.

In his 339th total encounter, a 2–2 home draw with Barcelona, he reached 150 for Celta three days later. 

In a 5–1 away loss to RCD Mallorca on June 30, he scored his 100th top-flight goal for the club.

Aspas had been named to the 23-man group that would compete in the World Cup finals in Russia.

He made his competitive debut on June 15, 2018, in the final 14 minutes of a 3–3 group-stage tie against Portugal, replacing

Diego Costa

, who had scored twice.

Football scouts swarmed around him like sharks after his equalizer against England, looking for his talents elsewhere.

Despite all the attention, the now 34-year-old stated that he has no intention of repeating his mistake of abandoning Celta.

This occurred at a period when he was well-liked by both Celtan and Spanish supporters. In his words:

“I’M VERY HAPPY HERE, WITH MY PEOPLE. HERE IN CELTA, I’M WITH MY SON, MY WIFE, MY PARENTS, AND THAT’S SOMETHING MONEY CAN’T BUY.

I ALWAYS DREAMT OF PLAYING FOR CELTA, AND THAT’S WHERE I WANT TO RETIRE.”

Iago Aspas Personal & Love Life

Iago Aspas is a Celta Vigo legend without a doubt. His on-the-field abilities, as well as his off-the-field lifestyle, will help you form a complete picture of him.

Aspas had been with his loving wife and model Jennifer Rueda just before his days of pain in Liverpool and Sevilla.

Iago proposed to his gorgeous girlfriend in 2017 as a way of saying "thank you" for sticking by him through his difficult years. Jennifer confirmed her engagement on her Instagram page.

Their wedding preparations began almost immediately after that. Jennifer Rueda was already expecting their son before they married.

The wedding had to be postponed until the birth of their son, Thiago. It was a private wedding ceremony held in Iago's hometown of Moana.

Iago and Jennifer are currently living a happy life as they enjoy the benefits of parenthood. Having Thiago and their little girl pictured above bring the couple a great deal of joy and pride.

Now regarding the footballer’s role as a father, who else can be someone to look up to for boys if not their fathers? Iago wants his son to be a better player than he is, in addition to caring for his moral and ethical development.

A father can be any kind of man. It takes a particular kind of father, like our very own football lover, to spend so much of his own time taking his son out, one of the Top Facts about Iago Aspas.

"Life can be wonderful," Iago once stated as he showcased his Porsche and Lamborghini on social media.

He has some of the most expensive cars in the world, which are also owned by some of football's top names.

He considers the beach at Moana to be his pastime. His good fortune has come from his coastal Spanish hometown.

When it came to food, Iago has been a huge fan of pizza since his days in Liverpool, another one of the

Top Facts about Iago Aspas

. He also enjoys going to the theatre, going on vacations, being admired, and having fun with his pals.

Also, it doesn’t hurt to mention the fact that Celta’s number 10 was born in the year 1987, making him a Rabbit according to the Chinese Zodiac signs.

Rabbits are delicate, modest, elegant, and sensitive, as well as swift, talented, kind, tolerant, and loyal. They may, however, be a little cold, stubborn, gloomy, and extremely private.

Males born under the Rabbit zodiac sign always treat others with courtesy and a gentle smile that gives the impression that they are reliable and genuine.

Rabbits are faithful to people around them, yet they are hesitant to share their thoughts with others and have an inclination to escape reality.

They are extra careful and conservative, and as a result, they sometimes miss out on great opportunities.

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source: SportMob



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