Ionut Radu, Celta’s keeper, shines in the Alavés scare

Ionut Radu, Celta Vigo’s goalkeeper, has become the team’s key figure at the start of the campaign, especially after Sunday’s thriller at Balaídos against Alavés. In the closing minutes, the Romanian stopped the comeback with two spectacular saves from Lucas Boyé and Mariano to prevent an equalizer.

Even though this summer Altay Bayındır arrived on loan from Manchester United, Radu has held his ground. His Vigo stint began shakily, with errors in preseason vs Braga and Vitória de Guimarães, and Celta conceding in the first twelve matchdays of 2025-26.

Coach Claudio Giráldez kept trusting him, and Radu went on to be crucial for Celta’s second straight qualification to the Europa League. “Each game in LaLiga is a learning experience. Now I know more about rivals and I can tell in matches,” he said, adding that last season he played every minute and is on course to repeat.

Per Mundo Deportivo, the stats back him up: 7 goals conceded in 9 league games, placing him as LaLiga’s Zamora ahead of Oblak, Courtois and Sivera. He’s also charmed the Celta fans with a quirky celebration—doing a handstand in victory—an idea he tried out on a boat in Ibiza and now repeats when they win.