On the way to 37 years old, Iago Aspas (Moaña, 1987) hopes that this is not his last visit to Real Madrid. In his penultimate campaign of his contract with Celta, the permanence in First Division of the Olívic team once again depends on the magic of the Moañés striker. He gave his first interview in 2024 to AS.
You played for the first time at the Santiago Bernabéu in October 2012. Of the players who played in that match, only you are still at Celta and there is also a single survivor at Real Madrid. Do you know who it is?
It could be Nacho… or Modric.
It’s Modric, because Nacho didn’t have minutes that day.
I didn’t remember, so many years ago… Let’s see if Modric also continues for another year and we can meet again next season in the First Division.
In that first experience in the top category, did you imagine that your career would be so long?
The truth is, no. That season we were a newly promoted team, everything was difficult, and I was a debutant in First Division. I still remember how we suffered that year.
Are we facing his penultimate time at the Bernabéu?
Don’t know. I hope that after this visit there will be another one. That will mean that we have saved the category.
Your relationship with Celta ends on June 30, 2025. Are you physically fit to continue playing beyond that date?
In that aspect I feel better than last year because in the final stretch I had a bad back. In a few months I will be 37 years old and I really like football, but I don’t know what will happen beyond 2025.
Do you rule out the idea of going to play in a country like Saudi Arabia when your contract in Vigo ends?
Since I returned to Celta I said that I was going to spend as much time here as long as they wanted me. I always thought about retiring here and no one is going to take that out of my mind. Yes, there was a lot of interest and the odd offer, but that has never caught my attention much. I am very happy, calm at home with my family, my parents and friends. I have never thought about moving from here.
“Arabia? “I always thought about retiring here and no one is going to take that out of my mind.”
Iago Aspas
Do you also maintain the plan to become sports director after hanging up your boots?
Surely yes because football is what I like and am passionate about, but I have a year and a half left on my contract and then we’ll see.
Until last Christmas, one of the most famous sports directors in the world was at Celta. What taste did Luís Campos’ time in Vigo leave in your mouth?
It was a very different experience from previous sports directors I had known. Personally, I didn’t really like that the sports director was not in the day-to-day life with the footballers. He had never experienced that situation. Previously I was at Sevilla with Monchi and here with Torrecilla and Felipe Miñambres. They were in the day-to-day life of the club and knew everything that was happening with the players. On the other hand, Luís Campos left us great sales and signings for the future. I would have liked him to sign a man with more experience to give weight to all those future promises that he signed. He left a positive balance and that is good for the club.
“I didn’t really like that the sports director was not in the day-to-day life with the footballers”
Iago Aspas
You did not shy away from asking him to reinforce the team with a quality midfielder.
Yes, I always say what I think and even more so when they catch me hot. She expressed the feeling that I had on the field of play at that moment. Here we have gone from having a team with a very good footing with players like Denis, Brais, Mina, Galán, Nolito… to having younger players who had to grow in the League. It was a very drastic and difficult change. That’s how we suffered a lot last season.
If you were the sports director of Celta, would you opt for Rafa Benítez as a coach for your project?
It’s not a question for me (laughs). When the day came we would see. Furthermore, the coach has even more time left on his contract than me. So I don’t know what would happen in the future.
How would you rate the relationship you have with your coach?
Very good. I have a very good relationship as I have had with all the coaches who have passed through here. I am a very calm person. It is true that in games I am hotter, but on a day-to-day basis and in training I am a footballer like any other. Any coach could take me.
Iago Aspas talks to Rafa Benítez during a training session. Lalo R. VillarDiarioAS
Have you handled your recent substitutions well?
Without any problem. I already know how old I am and that when I play badly another teammate can come in. What I want is for Celta to win and if for that I have to be on the bench, then I will be.
What has changed at Celta since Benítez’s arrival?
He is a man with a lot of experience and knows how to run the club’s day-to-day life very well. He thinks things through very carefully before saying them. He is a person who talks a lot and offers many explanations.
If they save the category, do you think this season would be acceptable?
There’s still a lot. We are a team from the lower-middle zone of the table, our budget is tenth or eleventh. Anything that makes that worse for me is not good. The budget tells you where you should be in the League.
Do they occupy a position in the table that does not reflect the image they have offered in various phases of the season?
There are a host of circumstances: bad luck, referee decisions at the beginning of the season and, of course, the fault of the players and the coaching staff. For all this, we are where we are.
Real Madrid is complaining about the refereeing decisions this week.
If they were in our shoes at the beginning of the season, imagine how they would be…
“If Real Madrid put themselves in our shoes at the beginning of the season with the refereeing decisions, imagine how they would be…”
Iago Aspas
What script do you expect in this duel with the leader?
It will be difficult and it also depends on how Real Madrid comes out. In those stages you have to have personality. You have to try to play, knowing that you are going to have bad moments.
Would Kylian Mbappé be your first signing if you had an unlimited budget as sports director?
Surely, because the contract ends and it would be cheaper.
If Mbappé’s arrival is confirmed, do you see Real Madrid sweeping the League in the coming seasons?
For the League it would be good because the better players come, the more impact and economic income will be generated. Afterwards, the cake would have to be distributed a little better so that the other teams could get a little closer to Real Madrid. On paper it is very easy to say that Real Madrid is going to destroy Mbappé, but that has to be expressed on the pitch. PSG was also going to be the bomb with Messi and Neymar, but they did not win the Champions League any year.
For the week there is a list of those called up for the Spanish team, do you still have any hope?
You always work to have that prize, which is the maximum for any player. I continue to try to do the best I can with my team and if I have the opportunity to come back, great. If not, try to win every week to stay as high as possible. I am also aware of the situation my club is in and that it needs me one hundred percent.
Related news
Do you consider Spain to be one of the favorites for the title this summer at the Euro Cup?
She is among the four or six best, to reach the semifinals. Then, a championship is always very difficult and each rival makes it very difficult for you from the group stage.
2024-03-09 07:06:40
#Mbappé #distribute #cake
