Bryan Zaragoza wound up the home fans with his celebration after his first goal of the season in Espanyol Barcelona's 1-1 draw at FC Malaga on Friday evening, then became the target of vile abuse. It was one of the main talking points after the final whistle at La Rosaleda.
The incident started in the 13th minute. Zaragoza beat two opponents and drilled a superb finish into the near corner. He then celebrated wildly right in front of the Malaga end. That was clearly a major no-go for the supporters, given Zaragoza was born in Malaga.
Some fans then crossed the line with vile abuse. Matters got even worse when Zaragoza later clashed with an opponent on the pitch and "Bryan, die" could clearly be heard from the stands.
Supporters may have taken the celebration as a message to Malaga, who chose not to sign Zaragoza a few years ago despite giving him a trial. The 25-year-old denied on DAZN that he had that in mind: "It was not a message to the spectators. I respect the club, but I have never played here and I had not scored for a long time - and when I score a goal, I will celebrate it." He said the celebration was for his wife and son. If anyone felt insulted by it, "I apologise", said the forward. But the fans' chants had been "a mistake", he added.
Zaragoza insisted he respected Malaga, "because it is the club of my city, but if I score a goal, why am I not allowed to celebrate? I do not understand the anger towards me." After all, he had "done nothing wrong". He had not completely forgotten Malaga's past rejection either: "I could have played here, but they never wanted me. They were wrong."
His return home ended on a sour note not only because of the abuse, but also because of Malaga's late equaliser. In the third minute of stoppage time, Adrian Nino cancelled out Zaragoza's goal. "It is "shit, total shit"," Zaragoza said: "We are going home with a very bad taste in our mouths because the goal came practically with the very last action of the game." Espanyol are currently 11th in the table, Malaga are second from bottom.
How much longer is Bryan Zaragoza under contract at Bayern Munich?
Zaragoza has been on loan at Espanyol from Bayern Munich since last summer. He had been unable to establish himself in Munich since his transfer in January 2024. Zaragoza made only seven competitive appearances for FCB in total. As the club did not find a taker for a permanent transfer in the past transfer windows, Zaragoza still has a contract at Säbener Straße that runs until 2029.
Getty ImagesSince summer 2024 he has been continuously out on loan, at Osasuna, Vigo and Roma. The current deal with Espanyol includes an obligation to buy that comes into effect under certain conditions.
Last week, though, he made it clear in As that he would "never regret" his transfer to Bayern Munich. There had been "many factors" behind his failure there. He explained: "I was a 20-year-old who moved to Bayern Munich, one of the best clubs in the world, if not the best. In my position there was Musiala, who for me at that time was the best in the world, and then also Sane, Gnabry, Coman - I could name a thousand more."
He continued: "I had just come from the second division, had only played ten matches in the first division, and then Bayern Munich came. That is not easy: the language, the climate, the food, leaving my comfort zone. I do not think I failed because of my footballing level. I think it was down to the circumstances. It was a very big step in my career, one I was not yet ready for."