Borja Iglesias: From goal drought to golden boots at Celta
The Celta striker has already surpassed last season's goal tally with 12 strikes across all competitions, earning himself a Spain recall in the process.
Borja Iglesias has rediscovered his scoring touch at Celta Vigo, already netting more goals this season than throughout the entire previous campaign.
Panda’s purple patch
The man they call ‘The Panda’ is absolutely flying this season. Borja Iglesias has notched 12 goals across all competitions for Celta Vigo - eight in La Liga (making him the second-highest Spanish scorer in the division), two in Europa League and another pair in Copa del Rey.
What makes this tally particularly impressive is that he’s already surpassed his entire haul from last season, when he managed 11 goals. Even more telling is the efficiency - last term those goals came from 2,054 minutes of playing time, whereas this season’s dozen have required just 1,518 minutes. That’s a goal every 126.5 minutes - proper Adam’s apple that is!
International recognition
This scoring renaissance hasn’t gone unnoticed at national team level. Iglesias has earned himself a recall to the Spain squad, and at 33 years old, the Celta frontman now has his sights set on what would be his first World Cup appearance next summer.
Team ambitions
While his personal form has been stellar, Iglesias remains focused on collective achievements. Celta have been performing admirably across competitions, with Europa League action continuing this Thursday.
“We need to appreciate the journey we’ve been on for a long time now and give it the importance it deserves because we’re doing many things very well,” the striker noted about his team’s performances.
As for Celta’s ambitions, Iglesias isn’t putting any ceiling on what they might achieve:
“We want to finish as high as possible. We’ll try again this Thursday in the Europa League. The team shows that we might be more or less clinical, but everyone gives everything and works hard, and that’s what matters most.”
By the numbers
- 12 - Goals scored this season (8 Liga, 2 Europa League, 2 Copa)
- 11 - Total goals last season
- 126.5 - Minutes per goal this campaign
- 33 - Iglesias’ age as he targets first World Cup appearance
With this kind of form, both Celta and Spain will be hoping the Panda keeps feasting on goals right through to the summer.