Celta Vigo legend Iago Aspas unsure on retirement this summer

Celta Vigo legend Iago Aspas continues to be a headache for defenders in La Liga despite his advancing age. The ‘magician of Moana’ as he is nicknamed in Galicia turns 39 in August, but any Celta fan will be adamant that they want him to continue.

There is no doubt that the question of retirement looms ever larger with the passage of time, and Aspas is no stranger to that. Equally, Aspas remains a useful weapon for Claudio Giraldez, even if his involvement has been reduced over the last 18 months. Speaking to Diario AS, Aspas gave little away about his thinking on retirement.

“I don’t know. As you know, I haven’t set a date. It will depend on how I feel. I have a very good relationship with Marco (Garcés). When I make a decision, I’ll talk to him about it, or we can have a coffee. Whichever way I choose, I’ll be eternally grateful.”

Aspas on handling change of role

Before the arrival of Giraldez, Aspas was the de facto star and face of Celta Vigo, as they continuously called on him to be the hero in their survival bids. However as Os Celeste have improved, Aspas has seen his role decline in importance.

“I’m handling it quite well. It’s true that football is more physical now than it was 8, 10, or 15 years ago. I’m feeling good and playing in almost every match, starting in many and coming off the bench in others. I’m very happy.”

“As time goes on, you get used to it, but of course every footballer likes to play and feel involved. I know how I can help. The manager talks to me regularly and explains how much I’m going to play, why he thinks it’s better for me to start on the bench in this match.”

One final European run?

If Aspas is going on how he feels, he may leave the call down to how the season ends. A European run in the Europa League would be a fine way to bow out. It is now over a decade since Celta got to the semi-finals before just losing out to Manchester United.

“This year there’s more parity. It’s a very high level, but there isn’t as much of a gap between third and twelfth place, for example. Back then, Manchester United was there, but so was Krasnodar, without meaning any disrespect to any team. There was a bigger difference between them then. Now there’s a very high average level, and every match is won by small details.”

Aspas also noted that PAOK, their play-off opponents would be a tricky test coming up. Aspas has been more involved in Europe than in Spain, starting six games out of eight. Overall this season he has made 30 appearances, amounting to 1,419 minutes, in which he has four goals and five assists.

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