According to Marca, Celta de Vigo captain Iago Aspas has begun his farewell journey in the Copa del Rey.
Celta de Vigo fans have long dreamed of seeing Aspas lift a trophy for the club, and the Copa del Rey represents the simplest path to achieving this goal. In what appears to be his farewell season, the captain has embarked on his final campaign in the competition.
It remains unclear whether manager Claudio Giráldez will rest him in Wednesday's match in Salamanca. The forward has made 43 appearances in the competition to date, scoring 19 goals and providing 8 assists.
He has reached the semi-finals twice, both during his time at Celta de Vigo, in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. Progressing past this round would represent the biggest and most difficult challenge of the season.
The season in which he scored the most Copa del Rey goals was during his spell at Sevilla, when he netted 7 goals. Over the past seven seasons, reduced playing time has prevented him from scoring in the competition.
Since turning professional, he has participated in nearly every Copa del Rey season, with the exception of his time at Liverpool. Including this year, he has competed in 16 editions of the competition in total.