In the land of Iago Aspas, perhaps in the future Gabri Veiga will write his personal tale. Still handiest 20 and a journalism pupil, it began with him kicking a pumpkin round his uncle’s position within the Galician nation-state. Where it is going, who is aware of but, however it is going to be someplace excellent: named the most productive participant in La Liga for February, a most probably call-up for Spain this Friday, and scorer of 8 (most commonly absurd) targets up to now this season. The one in opposition to Betis was once bloody ridiculous, and a few have even dared declare the Celta de Vigo midfielder will finally end up like Aspas, his captain. Only, Veiga insists, there is no one like him – and he is aware of, he is observed it.
Born within the the town O Porriño, Pontevedra province, Veiga was once six at the day Aspas made his debut for Celta, the workforce they each supported a era aside. He watched him rescue them from sliding into the 3rd tier. Aspas left the similar yr Veiga arrived, elderly 11, and noticed the ahead come again once more, simply glad to be house. Veiga noticed him rating extra La Liga targets than another Spaniard, in 4 other seasons. Now he is seeing it from up shut.
The first time Veiga performed for Celta’s first workforce in a 2–1 win in opposition to Valencia in September 2020, Aspas scored two times. The final time, in a three–0 win over Rayo on Saturday night, he noticed Aspas rating two times extra. Ofcourse, “Iago is the best player in the club’s history,” Veiga insists.
After the sport, it was once instructed to the Celta captain that in the future the bottom may well be named after him. It may not occur; let’s accept it – it is a long way much more likely to be a bookies or a financial institution – however it will be proper. Aspas is last in on 200 targets for Celta, greater than somebody else ever, and he has turn out to be most certainly the only maximum essential participant in Spain for his workforce, save for Messi.
Aspas was once, it once in a while appeared, their one, all, and the whole lot, single-handedly saving them season after season. Alone not more, he was once additionally requested about Veiga, the child rising as his successor. “I hope he can be here with us for many years, so that we can enjoy him,” Aspas mentioned.
This is the place the phrase of caution all the time is going; the details, the bit the place you might be reminded that the worth of your funding – emotional, monetary – can move up in addition to down. So many avid gamers had been going to be giant, constructed up ahead of their time and past their approach, or discovered circumstance conspiring in opposition to them. Being the brand new any person too continuously approach now not being your self, weighed down by means of any person else’s expectancies. As Bojan Krkic rightly places it: his occupation was once now not with out his good fortune, it simply wasn’t Messi’s.
Before Barcelona took it mainstream, Real Madrid had a palanca of their very own. Lots of other people misplaced their minds over a child known as Miguel, who made his debut within the Clásico, handiest to play simply two additional video games. Even Ansu Fati, touched by means of one thing intangible, seems to be oddly mortal now.
And but, and but. Oh move on then. Previously unmoved by means of the ball, there was once one thing concerning the pumpkin that drew him in, Veiga admits. That’s how it all started. Although he did not stand out particularly at Juvenile stage, he was once the participant that the majority stuck the attention in a particularly proficient Celta B workforce, and following that first-team debut in 2020, he made just a handful of appearances.
This season Veiga has turn out to be just about ever provide. He has had to be: Brais Méndez was once bought to Real Sociedad final summer season, Santi Mina was once moved on, and Denis Suárez was once frozen out over his refusal to ditch his brokers, who had taken one in all Celta’s adolescence possibilities to Madrid, with Aspas caution even then that the squad was once brief.
Veiga has been atypical, the comparisons inevitable. His eruption, says the membership’s academy director, is “even greater than Iago’s”. His calling is to be the unreal to Aspas,” says Hugo Mallo, who made his 300th appearance on Saturday and, you may remember, is not just a teammate but a member of the Iago Aspas Supporters Club. Veiga has said he would love to follow in the path of those two men but inevitably, suitors have surfaced. “He’s like me: he is from right here, he has circle of relatives right here,” Aspas says. “I left and it didn’t work. He has desire, enthusiasm, quality. He’s comfortable here and hope he stays for a long time. If he has to go, let it be leaving behind many millions.
Carlos Carvalhal, the coach, admits: “He has been a surprise. I have seen very few players like him in my career. And he’s been at Sheffield Wednesday.
Celta have improved dramatically under Carvalhal: from three wins and eight defeats in 13 games to five wins and only two defeats in the 12 since he took over. In the relegation zone when it took over, they now sit 11th, five points and seven places clear. They’ve lost just one in seven – 1-0 against Atlético – and in that time have scored four against Betis, three against Valladolid and now three against Rayo. Defensively they have tightened up, no goals conceded in 334 minutes, the structure has improved and the attitude has too. “We’re going to have to squeeze one bollock next to the other,” Aspas mentioned, which they did, figuratively a minimum of.
It has been collective, but Veiga has been at the heart of the improvement, scoring twice against Betis and Valladolid, taking him to eight goals overall. No one in the squad has more than two, except Aspas. Among La Liga’s Spaniards, only Joselu, Borja Iglesias, Aspas and Álvaro Morata have more. Four of those five were in the youth system at Celta. The only one of the five who is not a forward is Veiga.
He is not the stereotypical Spanish midfielder. Strong and athletic, technically impressive, his position better defined under Carvalhal, Veiga is playing a little deeper than he was, from where he can spring at opponents. From where, too, he can provide: there are three assists to go with the goals.
“He doesn’t have that profile of touch or precision but he knows how to play. He’s intelligent, very strong, and he can get into the area to finish,” Rayo manager Andoni Iraola warned before Saturday’s game. “He carries the ball, cleans players out and does a lot of damage”.
Within 34 seconds of the sport beginning Veiga had completed precisely that. Named La Liga’s best possible participant for February, he had slightly put the award down when he prompt from the half-way line, pulling clear of Rayo’s avid gamers, a marginally of Gazza about him. Reaching the realm, he supplied the easiest cross for Aspas.
There was once one thing of the significance of timing in that. The timing at the pitch, but in addition the instant by which he has turn out to be a key a part of the workforce, accompanying Aspas. It can really feel like a pity that they are going to most certainly handiest get a few years in combination, but at different phases of Aspas’s occupation perhaps it will had been a more difficult have compatibility. Now, elderly 35 and 20 respectively, it feels highest, the transition smoothed, one of the most load shared. Aspas got here into the sport having now not were given a objective in 5 weeks and ignored that opportunity, when he will have to have scored. Veiga then just about scored every other himself with a neat roller that was once driven clear of the close to publish. Only 4 mins had long gone and the 20-year-old was once striding around the recreation, like a Celtic colossus.
Yet when it got here to it, this time like such a lot of different instances, the large was once Aspas. He swept in Celta’s first, struck once more on 51 mins, after which finished the scoring with an excellent 3rd proper on the finish, lifting the ball over Rayo’s Stole Dimitrievski from a good perspective.
In the week by which the Spain squad is known as, it felt like a well timed reminder, a reassertion of Aspas’s standing. It took him to double figures for the 8th consecutive season. It additionally took Celta to what looks as if protection, and that’s the reason no minor factor: they’ve been a primary department workforce for a decade, his decade, which handiest 8 different golf equipment can say. “Aspas guides the ship to shore,” wrote Faro de Vigo. “Celta hit terra firma after months of tortuous sailing.
Aspas is, El Faro said, “magic,” a man whose “talent is inversely proportional to the recognition he gets beyond Piornedo.” [on the Galician border], AS declared: “Aspas is Captain Lightning.” “A genius,” Marca called him, insisting: “the fact that Aspas is a genius, one of the best players in the league, seems obvious but you have to say it more because we have been unfair to the man from Moaña.”
“He is the best player I have had the pleasure of coaching,” added Carvalhal. “When you have a player like Aspas, it makes everything easier.”
Fifteen years his junior, Veiga mentioned that in the future he would inform his youngsters that he performed with Aspas. Aspas need not do the similar: his children can see that for themselves.