He has spent most of his career with Celta, appearing in 524 official games across 16 seasons and scoring 214 goals.[4] He made hisLa Liga debut with the club in 2012 and moved toLiverpool the following year, returning to Celta in 2015 after a loan atSevilla.
Aspas was definitively promoted fromthe reserves for2009–10, going on to appear in several more campaigns in the second tier with theGalicians. In the2011–12 season, he scored a career-best 23 league goals, second-best in the competition behindAlmería'sLeonardo Ulloa[10] as Celta returned toLa Liga after a five-year absence;[11] as a result of his performances, he was votedbest forward andZarra Trophy winner for the division.[12]
Aspas made his top flight debut on 18 August 2012, starting in a 1–0 home loss againstMálaga.[13] He scored his first goal in the competition the following month, contributing to a 2–0 win overOsasuna also atBalaídos Stadium,[14] and added a further 11 duringthe campaign to help the side escape relegation in the final matchday.[15][16]
Liverpool managerBrendan Rodgers instructing Aspas in August 2013
In May 2013, it was widely rumoured that a fee estimated between £7–9 million had been agreed for Aspas to joinLiverpool, pending personal terms and a medical.[18][19][20] On 13 June, both clubs agreed to a deal in principle to sign the player subject to completion of documentation, but this was delayed when his former agent requested theRoyal Spanish Football Federation withhold international clearance because of a dispute over his representation;[21][22][23] the deal was finally completed on 23 June, and he was given the number 9 shirt.[24]
Aspas scored his only competitive goal for the Reds on 5 January 2014, in a2–0 win overOldham Athletic in theFA Cup.[27] During his spell, he played second-fiddle toPhilippe Coutinho, Sterling, Sturridge andLuis Suárez as the Reds went on tofinish second;[28] he also struggled with his limited knowledge of the English language.[29]
On 14 July 2014, Aspas returned to his homeland, being loaned toSevilla in aseason-long move and with a permanent three-year deal as a subsequent obligatory option.[30][31] He made his competitive debut on 12 August in the2014 UEFA Super Cup at theCardiff City Stadium, replacing fellow debutantAleix Vidal after 66 minutes of an eventual 2–0 defeat toReal Madrid.[32]
On 14 September 2014, Aspas appeared in the league for the first time, coming on forCarlos Bacca for the final seven minutes of a 2–0 home win againstGetafe.[33] His first goal for his new club came on 2 October, as he opened the score in a 2–2 draw atRijeka in thegroup stage of theUEFA Europa League.[34] Late in that month he played the full 90 minutes and grabbed ahat-trick againstSabadell, helping to a 6–1 away rout in theround of 32 of theCopa del Rey,[35] adding another treble within a four-minute spell in the second leg for a 5–1 win;[36] he andBarcelona'sNeymar were the tournament's top scorers, with seven goals each.[37]
Aspas' first league goal for Sevilla came on 1 February 2015, the winner in a 3–2 victory overEspanyol. Earlier in the game, he had taken a shot which was handled byKiko Casilla outside of the penalty area, resulting in the goalkeeper's dismissal.[38]
On 12 June 2015, Sevilla signed Aspas from Liverpool as part of the agreement between the two clubs, then sold him straight back to Celta on the same day,[39][40] with the player agreeing to a five-year contract six days later for a€5 million fee.[41][42] On 23 September, he scored twice in a 4–1 home win over Barcelona.[43]
Aspas in action for Celta in 2017
Aspas was theLa Liga Player of the Month for October 2016 after scoring five goals, including braces in a 4–1 win against Deportivo and a 3–3 draw withLas Palmas, in addition to a goal and assist in a 4–3 victory over reigning champions Barcelona.[44] The following 23 February, he scored a last-minute penalty in theEuropa League last-32 second leg to forceextra time atShakhtar Donetsk, with the Spaniards emerging victorious.[45]
On 21 May 2017, in the last matchday ofthe campaign, Aspas scored through apenalty in a 2–2 home draw againstReal Sociedad, reaching a personal-best 19 goals and winning theZarra Trophy in the process.[46][47] Thefollowing season he was again the league's top-scoring Spaniard at 22, behind onlyLionel Messi,Cristiano Ronaldo andLuis Suárez overall.[48] He netted hat-tricks in a 5–2 win at Las Palmas on 16 October 2017[49] and a 4–0 defeat of former side Sevilla the following 7 April,[50] in addition to a brace in a 3–1 derby victory at eventually relegated Deportivo;[51] on 5 November 2017, with another couple in a 3–1 home defeat ofAthletic Bilbao, he reached 100 goals for his main employer, putting himself sixth in their all-time scorers.[52]
In2018–19, Aspas was absent with a calf injury for three months from the end of December, during which Celta slipped from ninth place to 18th in the table.[53] He netted twice in a 3–2 win over Villarreal on his return on 30 March 2019 in what was also his 300th game for the team,[54] and on 17 April he signed a new contract to last until 2023, the club's centenary year.[55]
On 24 June 2020, Aspas scored the only goal atReal Sociedad to reach 100 La Liga goals from 209 games; only four players since theSpanish Civil War had done so quicker.[56] Three days later he reached 150 for Celta in his 339th overall match, a 2–2 home draw with Barcelona.[57] On 30 June, he achieved a century of top-flight goals for the club in a 5–1 away loss againstMallorca.[58]
Aspas netted in a 3–1 home defeat to Real Sociedad on 1 November 2020 with his 105th goal for the team in the top division, taking a 69-year record fromHermidita.[59] He was again voted the best in the league for December, contributing to eight of Celta's 11 goals as they went unbeaten in five games.[60] At the end ofthe season, he had managed to score at least 14 times for the sixth consecutive year;[61] according to different sources, his 160th goal either equalled Nolete as second highest,[62] or surpassed founding memberRamón Polo as the club's highest scorer of all time.[63]
On 6 November 2021, Aspas scored a brace to help his side come back from 3–0 down to salvage a 3–3 draw against Barcelona, including a goal in the sixth minute of added time.[64] He totalled 17 forthe campaign to again become top national scorer, in an 11th-place finish.[65]
Aspas made headlines in November 2023, after throwing the pitchsideVAR monitor to the ground in frustration following the decision to deny Celta a penalty in the closing moments of a 1–1 draw with Sevilla.[66][67][68] He scored his 200th competitive goal the following 17 February, but in a 2–1 home loss to Barcelona.[69]
On 25 December 2024, Aspas agreed to an extension until 2026.[70] On 5 October 2025, he equalised a 1–1 home draw againstAtlético Madrid to tieManolo's record of club appearances at 533;[71] he became the all-time leader 18 days later, celebrating the milestone by opening an eventual 2–1 defeat ofNice in theEuropa League league phase with his 217th goal.[72]
Aspas finally earned his firstcap on 15 November 2016, under new coachJulen Lopetegui, replacingJuan Mata for the second half of the 2–2 friendly draw againstEngland, beingbooked and scoring his side's first goal.[75] His competitive debut came on 24 March of the following year, as he played the last six minutes of the 4–1 home win overIsrael for the2018 FIFA World Cupqualifiers.[76][77]
Aspas was included in the 23-man squad for the World Cup finals in Russia.[78] He made his debut inthe competition on 15 June 2018, replacingDiego Costa, who had scored twice, for the final 14 minutes of the 3–3 group-stage draw againstPortugal;[79] ten days later, having come on for the same player, he scored alast-minute equaliser with abackheel to help his team draw 2–2 againstMorocco and reach the knockout phase as group champions.[80]
Aspas' older brother,Jonathan, was also a footballer; he too came through Celta's youth system.[85][86] Their cousins Aitor Aspas,Raúl Blanco andAdrián Cruz were also involved in the sport.[87][88]
Aspas has three children with his wife Jennifer Rueda, whom he married in June 2019.[89][90]
^Castro, X. R. (12 November 2012)."Aspas, goleador gallego tras 30 años" [Aspas, Galician scorer after 30 years].La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Retrieved25 June 2013.
^Conde, Jaime (22 May 2017)."Un empate para despedir a Berizzo" [A draw to say goodbye to Berizzo].Faro de Vigo (in Spanish). Retrieved8 July 2017.
^abGonzález, Montserrat (22 May 2017)."El gol de la Liga tiene color celeste" [The League's goal is coloured sky blue].Faro de Vigo (in Spanish). Retrieved8 July 2017.
^Bravo, Alberto (25 June 2020)."Iago Aspas, el goleador centenario" [Iago Aspas, the centennial goalscorer] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. Retrieved2 December 2020.
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