Vadillo goes from strength to strength: starter in Zaragoza’s 3 straight wins

Iker Vadillo is hitting top form with Real Zaragoza: the academy product has started in the club’s three consecutive wins, reinforcing his place in the XI and turning his summer momentum into something more permanent.

According to Sport, Vadillo joined Ibai Gómez’s plans just over a couple of months ago, recruited from Deportivo Aragón to train actively with the first team and travel on the trip to Boltaña. His performances in pre-season exceeded expectations. Sport points to his pace as the key trait that convinced the coach, to the point that Zaragoza began considering keeping him with the first team depending on what the transfer market brought.

From the academy to the starting XI

The process has been straightforward. Vadillo went from starting on the bench to becoming a starter, with the team improving after his introduction in Tarragona. That shift led to a first start the next match, operating on the left side of the attack. Since then, Sport notes that only two outfield players besides him — Iranzo and Diego — have shared the same uninterrupted run in the starting line-up across those last three league fixtures, all ending in Zaragoza wins.

A role change that paid off

The Sunday twist came from Ibai: he moved Vadillo away from the left flank, where he had been starting in the previous two games, and used him as an offensive reference up front. Sport says Ibai repeated a plan he had already tested against Logroñés in pre-season, when Vadillo delivered a standout display capped by a goal.

In that game, Vadillo did more than just fit the role. Sport highlights his pressing work, his link-up with Rubén Díez, and his impact in the match’s decisive moment: using his speed in a counter, he forced the opponent’s dismissal, opening the door to victory. After the break and with Delgado coming on, Vadillo returned to the left and came close to scoring with two shots following inside runs.

Sport also underlines the longer-term milestone: Vadillo, who has just turned 21, has renewed until 2030. It follows spells at Caspe and Robres on loan from Zaragoza, and a short setback in Boltaña due to muscular discomfort that kept him out of a couple of training sessions. The article sums up the feeling with the sense that he’s now a regular starter with Zaragoza.