Celta Vigo to honour Iago Aspas with renamed stand and statue at Balaidos Stadium

Iago Aspas will have the Tribuna stand at Celta Vigo's Balaidos Stadium renamed the 'Iago Aspas Tribuna' stand with immediate effect. Vigo City Council has approved plans for a statue of Aspas to be installed at the stadium entrance with a budget of approximately €200,000 (£170,000). The statue will be positioned directly in front of the Tribuna stand. Vigo mayor Abel Caballero explained the Tribuna stand was chosen because it is already operational and will become the largest stand in the revamped stadium. The City Council is covering 100 per cent of the statue cost, whilst the Provincial Council is expected to contribute €941,000 towards stadium work. Balaidos Stadium has a capacity of 44,000.

Liverpool spell and return to Spain

Aspas joined Liverpool in 2013 for £7 million but made only 15 appearances for the club, scoring one goal and providing one assist. He spent the 2014/15 season on loan at Sevilla before rejoining Celta for €5 million in 2015. A product of Celta Vigo's academy, Aspas has made 578 appearances for his boyhood club – 153 before Liverpool and 425 since rejoining – scoring 223 goals and assisting 90. He is Celta's all-time record appearance-holder, goalscorer and assist-maker. Aspas was born in Moana, a municipality separated from Vigo by an estuary. The forward continues to captain the club as a regular in LaLiga, scoring in a 2-1 defeat to Osasuna in August 2026.

Stadium redevelopment and Aspas's legacy

Balaidos Stadium is undergoing redevelopment ahead of the 2030 World Cup. The Tribuna stand's capacity will almost triple from around 5,500 seats to approximately 16,000 as part of the redevelopment. Luisa Sanchez, vice-president of the Pontevedra Provincial Council, proposed the honour and stated: "Iago Aspas is the goal, the goal is Iago Aspas." On his 2009 debut for Celta, Aspas came off the bench to score two late goals in a 2-1 win that saved the club from relegation to Spain's third tier. Aspas returned from injury during the 2018-19 season to score crucial goals that saved Celta from relegation. Aspas is a four-time winner of the Zarra Trophy, which recognises the highest-scoring Spaniard in LaLiga.

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