Iago Aspas: "I was very happy with little money"

The

breaks the land of southern

in two directions.

On the left, the great city of almost half a million inhabitants and its eternal leisure options.

On the right, the fishing villages that live by and for the sea.

Arriving at

, which connects both directions, Iago Aspas (Moaña, 1987) rejects the hustle and bustle and chooses the secondary road that winds along the coast and passes through

, the parish of his native Moaña where the best player in the history of

has lived all my life.

The striker receives

at the

72 hours before the initial whistle of the duel against

.

He jokes with

, who has been chatting with his assistants after training, and directs the photo session, always with the ball in hand.

Later, he sits in a room with the mural of celestial legends in the background.

There he is, with his idol

next to him: "Man, I grew up with him."

His mother is from Moaña, but his father is not. My father is from Cuenca.

He moved here with my uncle when he was 30 years old, more or less, to set up a workshop and he met my mother.

He turns 80 in May, so he's been 50 here.

He doesn't speak Galician, but hey, he's adopted Galician.

All my brothers were born here, including the eldest, 46. Always in Moaña. Is that where your fever for cars comes from? I've always liked them.

The bug was given to me by my brother Jonathan, who is half sick like me.

But the thing about playing and always seeing the cars came to me because of my father, in the end I spent many afternoons in the workshop.

And his mother, his shellfisher. Yes, she retired two years ago, when I got married.

It was difficult for us to retire because he did not want to, he wanted to have his retirement for which he had worked so many years.

He said that for what was left he did not compensate him.

How was your childhood in the village? He played soccer all day.

I had the Moaña field next to my house and when I got home from school I ate a sandwich and went down to play.

I would take my ball, or a neighbor's ball, and go out there.

I remember being there a lot of afternoons until it got dark.

If there were many of us, we would set up tournaments on the beach.

We jumped the fence of the field and we took two goals between several and we put them in the sand.

If there were no people, just a friend and I would go to shoot.

The goalkeeper, of course (laughs).

We jumped the fence of the field and we took two goals between several and we put them in the sand.

If there were no people, just a friend and I would go to shoot.

The goalkeeper, of course (laughs).

We jumped the fence of the field and we took two goals between several and we put them in the sand.

If there were no people, just a friend and I would go to shoot.

The goalkeeper, of course (laughs).

, I was playing football ten hours a day, from when I left school until my father whistled for me to go to dinner.

He saw me from the window of the house and it was a characteristic whistle.

That essence of starting on the street, or on the beach, is being lost. Now everything is much more professionalized.

The children come out with a very good technique, but it is a school technique.

I always played on clay pitches until I joined Celta, which was one of the few teams that had a synthetic grass pitch. What was day-to-day life like at your house? almost day he took care of us.

My mother had two jobs, in the morning as a shellfisher and in the afternoon taking care of children, and my father, in the end, was in the workshop all day, like any mechanic.

My brother took care of us.

although also at that time the children with nine years played in the street in front of the house without problem.

I used to play until my parents came, when we had to do some homework and go to bed. And now she wouldn't leave her son alone like that... Today everything has changed.

You go to the park and you're watching.

From that I think there was much more freedom for children.

I lived one minute from the school and since I was little I only walked.

ROSA GONZALEZWORLD

They say that there was already mischief in the story of how he entered Celta. Yes... (laughs).

I used to play on weekends with a team, but not on that field in front of my house.

I had to walk 15 or 20 minutes.

And one day the coach told us that there were some tests at Celta.

We talked to my uncle and we went, but I was tremendously disappointed because we arrived and it turned out that the tests were for children born in 1986. And I was from 87, I was eight years old... But my uncle told me "look, since there are no to give the card or anything, you say you're from 86 and train ".

I didn't have taco boots or anything, I was wearing futsal boots.

I remember that the field was synthetic and I slipped a lot.

We returned home and confessed to my mother that we had cheated on them.

But well, my mother spoke with Celta and I was lucky.

What's more,

my brother went to do the tests and they also caught him.

He was 14 years old, he played for Moaña and at first he wasn't very happy about leaving, but they signed him.

Before he played in a team made by our parents in which we played a kind of neighborhood league and that's it.

But then at Celta let's see... I was from a town, I trained two days in A Madroa (the sports city) and the rest of the days I played with my friends on the beach.

Celta's academy in the end is a selection from the area, there is always that superiority and the normal thing is that you win, so for the other teams it was a bit like when you play against Barça or Madrid, they wanted us. On a character level Did you feel more than others for being at Celta? No, no... Let's see,

When I lost I got angry, of course.

The same attitude I had as a child I have now.

I like to win and if I lose I get angry (laughs).

But beyond that, no. How has it changed over the years? Nothing has changed for me.

I know where I am, I know my position, I know I play for Celta... But I've always had the same gang of friends, I did the same thing at 20 years old as now, although now everything has more repercussions.

I am a shy and quiet person outside the field.

What I notice most is that what I do is more relevant, but I live in the town.

The one who sees me on Monday sees me on Tuesday or Thursday doing the shopping or in the park with the children... It's more natural.

When I go to Vigo it is different, I feel more watched, although I understand that it is normal.

But in the town we all know each other. He says he is shy and quiet,

Has the fact of being known affected you? No, not me.

It is something that I have carried naturally.

I have been understanding it since I was young and I continue with the same normality as before.

I'm a quiet guy, I don't like to attract attention and I'd rather be behind someone than in front, so to speak.

ROSA GONZALEZWORLD

He has three children, Tiago, born in 2016, Mia, born in 2018, and Aleix, who came into the world last year.

Is the eldest aware of who his father is? There are things he understands and others he doesn't.

When he comes to the field or is in the park and some child tells him "your father is Iago Aspas" and asks me to take a picture of me, but he is still five years old.

Or when he goes to school and some ESO child or something like that tells him "look, Iago Aspas's son", but well, I think it's something that he will understand over the years. Are you afraid that your children will raised in a family known throughout the city? Let's see, we are exposed to everything in this life.

I try to give him the same humility that my parents gave me.

It is true that now you have that financial aid that my parents did not have, but I was happy just the same having little money.

My mother had two jobs and my father was a mechanic and they raised four siblings as a happy family. Financially, has it been a reward to be able to give your parents what they couldn't give you as a child? Mmmm no.

Whatever my parents need they will always have it because I am their son, but they continue to live on the same floor, doing the same things and having the same friends.

They have worked, they have struggled to support their family and now they are home alone because their children have left.

But being just as happy. And traveling on the fans' bus and sitting in the stands at Balaídos, not in the VIP box. Yes, they did it before and they still do.

Since my mother retired, they travel more to away games, although to some because my father is older and travels 12 hours... So my mother goes with a friend.

My parents don't like the box office, they've been to the stands all their lives.

The other day we went to see the subsidiary match against Depor in Balaídos and I told my father to come to the box with me and my brother, and he told me no, that he was going to his place with his friends from the stands What would have happened to you if you hadn't been a footballer? I couldn't tell you.

I have always lived by and for football.

I liked a lot.

Maybe it would have been something related to cars because I liked them, but I was involved with football 24 hours a day, I watched a thousand games as a child.

I have traveled a thousand and one fields because I loved it.

that he was going to his place with his friends from the stands. What would have happened to you if you hadn't been a footballer? I couldn't tell you.

I have always lived by and for football.

I liked a lot.

Maybe it would have been something related to cars because I liked them, but I was involved with football 24 hours a day, I watched a thousand games as a child.

I have traveled a thousand and one fields because I loved it.

that he was going to his place with his friends from the stands. What would have happened to you if you hadn't been a footballer? I couldn't tell you.

I have always lived by and for football.

I liked a lot.

Maybe it would have been something related to cars because I liked them, but I was involved with football 24 hours a day, I watched a thousand games as a child.

I have traveled a thousand and one fields because I loved it.

ROSA GONZALEZWORLD

Speaking of soccer.

He's 34 years old, what's wrong with him? Pfff... I've overcome all the odds I dreamed of as a young man, but hey, I always have the issue of winning a title with Celta.

It would also be something historic for the club, which will be 100 years old next season and what better gift than being able to retire with a title. Now that there is so much talk about mental health, to what extent did your head influence your time at Liverpool? and Seville?

Get out of your comfort zone, out of Moaña and out of your country. They were difficult times because I was used to playing everything and having a leading role, and I got to a big club, I didn't participate and I wasn't with my family either.

An important point was that my wife was there with me, but of course, she came home frustrated and in the end she was the one who ate all that, and she didn't have her family either.

It was difficult.

But not playing helped me train for myself, to turn everything around and that made me see that coming home was the best.

I didn't care about anything, money or anything, I wanted to feel like a footballer again and regain my confidence. Does it hurt you not having been able to show what you showed in Vigo abroad? No, it has helped me to be more of a footballer.

Not playing made me work harder and see other teammates, their movements and their gestures.

It helped me think about it one more time and see what I should do to improve. What will there be after football for Iago Aspas? I don't know (laughs).

I live by and for football, as I told you before.

I like it a lot.

I don't know if sports director, coach... I don't know.

After so many years I think it would be difficult for me to be a coach, but as a sports director, traveling, watching football, seeing players... I like it, at Celta,

Clear.

I would have to perfect my English, yes, I have no studies and although I understand it, it is difficult for me to speak it. Vinicius fashion". I am 12 or 13 years older (laughs).

The change that he has made from last season to this one has been very big, especially that break in the area that has led him to score so many goals.

Surely he will score many more.Does Celta compete better against the big ones than against the small ones?Each game is a world.

Who was going to say that Barça was going to put four in Madrid.

Every day is different.

Perhaps in recent seasons it seems that we are good at playing against the greats at home, away we already suffer more. How many football games do you watch a week? Pfff...

As long as there are Champions and such... On Saturday I can eat four, on Sunday another four... I can calmly watch ten games a week.

Little Netflix, some series when my wife cheats on me, but if there's a game I prefer it, even if it's in the children's room (laughs).

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