James becomes James again

Vigaray, Eguaras, Jair … and also James. Juan Ignacio Martinez has not only achieved the general resurrection of the Real Zaragoza– 14 points in seven days—, but is achieving that several of the most relevant players in the squad have notably increased their individual performance. The last to get it is the Nigerian left-handed midfielder James Igbekeme, with two consecutive starts and an appreciable performance, including a goal, after a year and a half of muscular setbacks and a clear loss of prominence.

James Igbekeme, 25 years old and with a contract until 2023, It was a bet of the previous sports director Lalo Arantegui, who signed him from Gil Vicente, from the second Portuguese division, for just 150,000 euros. His first season, 2018-19, was remarkable —35 games and one goal—, to the point that Víctor Fernández came out publicly to put the non-transferable sign on him, after the grenade would have offered 2.5 million fixed for his transfer. But his contribution to Real Zaragoza decreased significantly last year, first, due to the player's anger, after his transfer was stopped and he did not immediately receive a promised salary improvement, and second, for chaining a veritable plague of injuries, that they deprived him of being able to play the 'playoff' and that they had him withdrawn practically all the preseason.

This campaign, already with Deck of cards As a coach, he didn't start it off on the right foot either, and two other fibrillar ruptures left him out for many weeks. And it went from indisputable to transferable. At Real Zaragoza they seriously rethought their future, placing it on offer in the last winter market, together to Vuckic, Larrazábal, Nick, Papu, Guitián or Raí, although in his case, never as a loan, but in a transfer operation that would have made it possible to finance other signings.

But football always gives revenge and James Igbekeme was the big surprise in JIM's lineup in The Rose Garden. Very gratifying surprise, because the Nigerian had a great first half crowned with a goal and he more than won to continue in the starting eleven in the Nova Creu Alta de Sabadell. There he also touched the goal on two occasions and was one of the best, although he was relieved half an hour from the end by grandchild, a change that, precisely, did not sit well with the Aragonese team.

James is James again, hoping injuries will give him a break for the benefit of a Zaragoza that has come back to life with Juan Ignacio Martínez, but that still has to win many games to keep the category.