Celta Vigo starlet Gabri Veiga has gone from promising, but relatively unknown youngster, to one of the hottest talents in European football in the space of the last 12 months. It’s a shift that cannot be easy to handle, but at the very least he sounds as if he has it under control.
Veiga was more often on the bench than in the starting team last season, but won his place quickly this campaign. Scoring 11 times and assisting on 4 occasions, Veiga’s brace on the final day of the season against Barcelona was also the difference between Celta Vigo staying up or going down.
“It was a dream season. I myself did not expect everything to be so well personally. Now you are assimilating everything you have done during the year, and you get goosebumps. Doing that with the team of your life and being so young… These are going to be unforgettable moments for me. It’s all a dream.”
For months however, he has been in the spotlight as a potential target for the great and the good of Europe. Celta President Carlos Mourino has been openly saying for months that a club will activate his €40m release clause this summer. He told Marca how he was dealing with the pressure.
“You have to be prepared because it means changing everything, but the one thing you have to change the least is you. You have to continue being the same as always, keep spending time with the people who have always been there. I think I have done that well. I have matured and I have learned a lot this year. I think I’m a better footballer at the start of every season. And that’s what it’s all about.”
Veiga is naturally a quieter type, and has spent his entire youth career in Vigo. He was asked if his introverted character made it more difficult.
“You have to take it as normally as possible, assimilating things as they are and being clear that what has brought you here has been not making noise, and being humble. You have to be yourself, be natural and forget a bit about things that do not depend on you.”
Veiga has been attracting interest from Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City recently, although the talk of a move has certainly, lulled somewhat. At just 21, and having only broken into the starting team this season, Veiga will be in no rush to agitate for a transfer.
