Not only is Bryan Zaragoza’s profile rising rapidly on Instagram, his second goal against Barcelona enraptured the football world. Ronald Araujo even used persuasion to try and stop the “bullet”.
He just shrugged his shoulders. Bryan Zaragoza apparently did not feel the scene that sent football Spain into disbelief on Sunday was particularly extraordinary. “I play to dribble,” the 22-year-old told DAZN. “I don’t play to run after the ball.”
Running after it, that’s a feeling more familiar to his opponents. When the 1.64-metre winger has turned the ignition key, it’s alarm time in La Liga’s defensive ranks. Jules Koundé had to learn this painfully in the 29th minute, when the “bullet” (Marca) got away from him after a long pass. Zaragoza could have already taken a left-footed shot, but the winger is not only fast, he is also considered the best dribbler in Spain at the moment. He slipped the ball between Koundé’s legs, faked a shot and then hooked the ball into the far corner. Goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen also lost his bearings at some point during the Zaragoza zig-zag.
It was certainly the most beautiful of his five goals this season, the fourth he had scored against Barcelona after only 17 seconds. Again, he benefited from his speed after a through pass, and also a bit of luck – ter Stegen did not look too good with his shot into the far corner. The Catalans levelled the score at 2-2 thanks to the youngest La Liga scorer Lamine Yamal and Sergi Roberto, but were again very lucky in the 88th minute. Zaragoza only hit the post after a counterattack and ter Stegen would have had no chance.
Ronald Araujo had already urged him to stop getting on the Catalans’ nerves. “During the game he told me: ‘Stop running’,” Zaragoza revealed. The request, by the way, was followed by a somewhat more severe expletive.
Zaragoza, who cites the dribbling artists Lionel Messi (“He was always the best”), Neymar and Vinicius Junior (“I look at him a lot”) as role models, is obviously quite unperturbed by this. He seems unconcerned, unimpressed, unburdened. “I’ve played in the neighbourhood all my life, and at the end of the day, that’s what I play for,” he said, once again shrugging his shoulders.
From Spain’s 2nd division to the Seleccion
At the same time, hardly anyone had him on their radar before the season. He moved to Granada’s youth team in 2019, then played in the B team and a year on loan at El Ejido before establishing himself in the pros last second division season and playing a big part in their promotion to La Liga. His high-flying career means that he cannot rest on his laurels during the international break. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has named Zaragoza for the upcoming internationals against Scotland and Norway.
He realised that Zaragoza’s name has so slowly entered the mainstream when he looked at his mobile phone. “I opened Instagram and had about 5,000 more followers. It’s crazy,” he said after the double. The question remains whether second-bottom Granada can keep him for the long term. His contract runs until 2027, after all, and Zaragoza himself says he is “one hundred per cent committed to Granada. I have both feet on the ground. “
