Rubo Iranzo and Diego González build Zaragoza’s wall

The Real Zaragoza seem to have found stability at the heart of the defense. As Sport reports, Rubo Iranzo and Diego González have quickly become the team’s benchmark partnership, with their impact showing both in the eye test and in the numbers.

A duo backed by data

With the pair on the pitch together, Zaragoza have kept the opponent out twice and have also strung together three straight wins. Sport underlines the standout stat: across the time they’ve played together, the side have conceded just one goal, and that came from the penalty spot—converted by Dioni in Torremolinos.

How the partnership took shape

Sport also looks at how the duo arrived and why it didn’t start immediately. Diego González joined Zaragoza in late July on a deal running for two years plus an additional option, after turning down proposals from Segunda clubs, including a renewal with Ceuta. Rubo Iranzo, meanwhile, was only available at the end of the window, arriving from Valencia for no fee as part of a transfer agreement and signing for three years.

Their early matches weren’t identical: ahead of the game at Nàstic, Iranzo was called up but didn’t play after only two training sessions with the squad, while Diego González missed out due to a head injury in a friendly against Bilbao Athletic that triggered a FIFA protocol that kept him out of the league opener.

Beyond defending, Sport points to their tactical intelligence and their collective job of preventing danger, supported by metrics such as Diego González’s passing and long-ball numbers and both players ranking highly for clearances. The article concludes that the real test will come in January with squad rotation, because for now Rubo and Diego—both starters by ownership—are looking like Zaragoza’s go-to center-back pairing.