Borja Iglesias

Borja Iglesias Quintas (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈboɾxajˈɣlesjas]; born 17 January 1993) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Real Betis.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Iglesias and the second or maternal family name is Quintas.
Borja Iglesias
Iglesias with Betis in 2019
Personal information
Full name Borja Iglesias Quintas[1]
Date of birth (1993-01-17) 17 January 1993[1]
Place of birth Santiago de Compostela, Spain[1]
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Betis
Number 9
Youth career
2007–2010 Valencia
2010–2011 Roda
2011–2012 Villarreal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2013 Villarreal C 29 (11)
2013–2017 Celta B 144 (73)
2014–2018 Celta 1 (0)
2017–2018 → Zaragoza (loan) 39 (22)
2018–2019 Espanyol 37 (17)
2019– Betis 133 (39)
International career‡
2022– Spain 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13:37, 1 September 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:48, 28 March 2023 (UTC)

Formed at Celta, where he played mainly in the reserves, he achieved totals of over 150 La Liga games and 50 goals for that team, Espanyol and Betis, winning the 2021–22 Copa del Rey with the latter.

Club career

Villarreal

Born in Santiago de Compostela, Province of A Coruña, Galicia, Iglesias began playing football as a toddler in his local primary school, until he was recruited by SD Compostela at age 10.[2] He eventually graduated from Villarreal CF's youth setup after stints at CD Roda and Valencia CF, starting his senior career in 2012 with the former's C team in the Tercera División.[3]

Celta

Iglesias joined RC Celta de Vigo on 9 July 2013, signing a two-year deal with an option for a further three and being assigned to the reserves in the Segunda División B.[4] On 3 January 2015 he made his first-team – and La Liga – debut, coming on as a 78th-minute substitute for Santi Mina in a 1–0 away loss against Sevilla FC.[5]

On 11 December 2016, after scoring a brace in a 3–2 away defeat to Caudal Deportivo, Iglesias became Celta B's all-time top scorer with 53 goals, surpassing Goran Marić.[6] He topped the third-tier charts at 32, being essential as his team sealed a play-off berth.[7]

On 6 July 2017, Iglesias was loaned to Segunda División club Real Zaragoza for one year.[8] He scored his first goal for his new team on 27 August, the equaliser through a penalty kick in a 1–1 home draw with Granada CF.[9] Additionally, he scored braces against Córdoba CF, Sevilla Atlético, Real Valladolid and CA Osasuna, to reach 15 goals by March[10] and finish the season as the division's joint-third highest scorer on 22.[11] Earlier on 24 September, he was sent off just before half time in a 1–1 draw with Gimnàstic de Tarragona at La Romareda for what the referee considered an aggression towards goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.[12]

Espanyol

On 9 July 2018, Iglesias signed a four-year contract with RCD Espanyol with a buyout clause of €28 million.[13] He made his official debut for the club on 18 August, starting in a 1–1 home draw against former club Celta.[14] In his next appearance, he helped the hosts defeat Valencia CF 2–0 after profiting from a Cristiano Piccini mistake midway through the second half.[15]

Iglesias scored three goals over two legs in an aggregate 7–1 win over Ungmennafélagið Stjarnan in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League in late July and early August 2019.[16]

Betis
Iglesias being presented by Betis in August 2019

On 14 August 2019, Iglesias moved to Real Betis after agreeing to a five-year deal for a fee of €28 million, reuniting with his former Espanyol manager Rubi.[17] He struggled with just three goals as the team finished 15th in his debut campaign,[18] and received a red card on 20 February at the end of a goalless draw at CD Leganés for pushing an opposition coach.[19] In 2020–21, he contributed 13 goals – 11 in the league – to clinch a Europa League place.[18]

On 3 March 2022, in the second leg of the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey against Rayo Vallecano, Iglesias scored in stoppage time to ensure his team a 1–1 draw and a spot in the final.[20] In the decisive match on 23 April, he scored the opening goal of a 1–1 draw with Valencia as his team won on penalties;[21] he also topped the tournament's individual charts at five,[22] and was the final's most valuable player.[23]

Iglesias opened the 2022–23 season with six goals in six games,[24] earning himself the accolade of La Liga Player of the Month for August.[25] On 6 November, both he and teammate Nabil Fekir (as well as Gonzalo Montiel for the opposition) received straight red cards in an eventual 1–1 home draw with Sevilla FC in the Seville derby.[26]

International career

In September 2022, Iglesias and Nico Williams were called up for the first time to the Spain national team, ahead of UEFA Nations League games with Switzerland and Portugal.[27] He made his debut against the former, in a 2–1 loss in Zaragoza.[28] Despite his 20 goals making him the top scoring national player of the calendar year, he was overlooked for the 2022 FIFA World Cup – the first Spaniard since 1994 to be in this position.[29]

In August 2023, in response to the Royal Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales non-consensually kissing Spanish midfielder Jennifer Hermoso during the Women's World Cup medal ceremony, Iglesias announced he would boycott playing for Spain until Rubiales resigned.[30]

Personal life

Iglesias was nicknamed Panda, after the song of the same name by rapper Desiigner.[31] He received attention for painting his fingernails black in support of Black Lives Matter in 2020; his gesture was also a statement against homophobia, for which he was praised by the actor Brays Efe.[32] When asked about his political opinions, he said "Footballers tend to lean a little bit to the right because sometimes we value that economic policy. For me, for example, that's not the only thing worth anything. What I'm trying to say is, I prefer to pay more to live in a country where I like what they do with that money".[33]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 13 August 2023[34][35]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Copa del Rey Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Villarreal C 2012–13 Tercera División 2911———2911
Celta B 2013–14 Segunda División B 3512———3512
2014–15 Segunda División B 3617———3617
2015–16 Segunda División B 3612———3612
2016–17 Segunda División B 3732——2[lower-alpha 1]23934
Total 14473——2214675
Celta 2014–15 La Liga 1000——10
2015–16 La Liga 0010——10
2016–17 La Liga 0000——00
Total 1010——20
Zaragoza (loan) 2017–18 Segunda División 392221—2[lower-alpha 2]04323
Espanyol 2018–19 La Liga 371763——4320
2019–20 La Liga 00003[lower-alpha 3]3—33
Total 37176333—4623
Betis 2019–20 La Liga 35320——373
2020–21 La Liga 281142——3213
2021–22 La Liga 33108510[lower-alpha 3]4—5119
2022–23 La Liga 3515106[lower-alpha 3]01[lower-alpha 4]04315
2023–24 La Liga 100000—10
Total 132391571641016450
Career total 382162241119752430182
  1. Appearances in Segunda División B play-offs
  2. Appearances in La Liga play-offs
  3. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. Appearance in Supercopa de España

International
As of match played 28 March 2023[36]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Spain 202210
202310
Total20

Honours

Betis

Individual

References
  1. "B. Iglesias". RCD Espanyol. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  2. "Borja Iglesias: "En dos años mi vida ha cambiado radicalmente, pero soy el mismo"" [Borja Iglesias: "My life changed dramatically in two years, but I am the same"]. El Correo Gallego (in Spanish). 27 June 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  3. Molero, Iván (2 October 2018). "La primera vez de Borja Iglesias con su 'ex' y ante un amigo" [Borja Iglesias' first time with an 'ex' and against a friend]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  4. "El delantero gallego Borja Iglesias, nuevo refuerzo para el Celta B" [Galician forward Borja Iglesias, new addition to Celta B] (in Spanish). Celta Vigo. 9 July 2013. Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  5. Campos, Tomás (3 January 2015). "Demasiado premio para el Sevilla" [Too much prize for Sevilla]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  6. "Borja Iglesias becomes reserve team top scorer of all times". Celta Vigo. 14 December 2016. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  7. Galicia, Samuel (18 May 2017). "Celta B: Pólvora y más pólvora para dinamitar la fase de ascenso" [Celta B: Gunpowder and more gunpowder for blowing up the promotion play-offs]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  8. "Acuerdo con el Celta para la cesión del delantero Borja Iglesias" [Agreement with Celta for the loan of forward Borja Iglesias] (in Spanish). Real Zaragoza. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  9. "1–1. El Granada logra un punto en Zaragoza gracias a la actuación de Javi Varas" [1–1. Granada get one point in Zaragoza thanks to Javi Varas' performance] (in Spanish). Canal Sur. 27 August 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  10. "Borja Iglesias ya suma 15 goles en liga" [Borja Iglesias already sums up 15 goals in the league]. Diario Aragonés (in Spanish). 18 March 2018. Archived from the original on 28 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  11. Rodríguez, Chus (25 May 2018). "Un Pichichi de otra época" [A Pichichi of another era]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  12. Gaudioso, Sonia (24 September 2017). "El Zaragoza resiste al acoso del Nástic... y al árbitro" [Zaragoza resist Nástic's harassment... and the referee]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  13. "Borja Iglesias, nou davanter de l'Espanyol" [Borja Iglesias, new forward of Espanyol] (in Catalan). RCD Espanyol. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  14. Melero, Delfín (18 August 2018). "Tablas para ir calentando" [Draw to start preparing]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  15. "Granero y Borja Iglesias borran al Valencia" [Granero and Borja Iglesias wipe Valencia out] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. 26 August 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  16. Navarro, Cristina (1 August 2019). "El Espanyol liquida al Stjarnan en la Europa League por la vía rápida" [Espanyol finish off Stjarnan in the Europa League through the fast lane]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  17. "Borja Iglesias llega al Betis tras el pago de su cláusula al Espanyol" [Borja Iglesias arrives at Betis after Espanyol release clause was met] (in Spanish). Cadena COPE. 14 August 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  18. Morán, Miguel Ángel (6 September 2021). "Borja Iglesias: "Si algún día consideran que puedo aportar en la Selección, me encantaría"" [Borja Iglesias: "If one day they consider that I can contribute to the national team, I would love it"]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  19. "Borja Iglesias sees red for shoving Leganes assistant into the dugout". Marca. 16 February 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  20. "Real Betis reach Copa del Rey final on late Borja Iglesias goal". ESPN. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  21. "Real Betis 1–1 Valencia". BBC Sport. 23 April 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  22. "El Panda se adueña de la Copa" [Panda takes hold of the Cup]. Sport (in Spanish). 24 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  23. "Borja Iglesias, MVP of the Cup final". Today Times Live. 23 April 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  24. "La transformación de Borja Iglesias que le ha llevado a la selección española" [Borja Iglesias' transformation that has taken him to the Spanish national team]. Sport (in Spanish). 20 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  25. "Borja Iglesias named LaLiga Santander Player of the Month for August". La Liga. 8 September 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  26. "Sevilla hold Betis in fiery derby, Atletico drop points again". France 24. 6 November 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  27. "World Cup stock watch: Ronaldo, Mane fall; Pepi and Toney rise ahead of Qatar 2022". ESPN. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  28. "Switzerland secure Nations League upset over Spain". beIN Sports. 24 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  29. Santamaría, Jordi (14 December 2022). "Borja Iglesias cree que 2022 ha sido el año en "que he jugado a mi mejor nivel"" [Borja Iglesias believes that 2022 has been the year in "which I played at my best level"]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  30. "Spain striker Borja Iglesias steps down from national team after Rubiales' refusal to resign". El País. 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  31. Calvo, Brian (10 July 2019). "La historia de Borja Iglesias: un 'panda' que ilusiona a los pericos" [The story of Borja Iglesias: a 'panda' that gets parakeets dreaming] (in Spanish). La Contra Deportiva. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  32. Peyret, Dídac (14 June 2020). "Brays Efe: "Borja Iglesias no se imagina lo importante que fue para mí"" [Brays Efe: "Borja Iglesias could not imagine how important it was for me"]. Sport (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  33. "Borja Iglesias y la ideología de los futbolistas" [Borja Iglesias and the ideology of the footballers]. ABC (in Spanish). 7 June 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  34. Borja Iglesias at WorldFootball.net
  35. Borja Iglesias at Soccerway
  36. "Borja Iglesias". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
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