Bryan Zaragoza: Spain’s unknown quantity with the x-factor that attracted Bayern Munich
The last year has been a whirlwind for Bryan Zaragoza: from Spain's second tier to Spanish international.
This article is the third part of xG Files’ ‘EuroFiles’ series for the upcoming European Championship, profiling 24 players from the qualified nations with expert opinions from journalists, writers, editors, and media guides from each respective nation.
The first two instalments focused on Germany’s unorthodox striker Marvin Ducksch and England’s treble teen, Rico Lewis. This one looks at the player, who was an unknown quantity until the age of 22… now he is a Bayern Munich player…
“We footballers are only humans. At 22 years old, it's not easy to process everything I've experienced in the past month: first being called up to the national team and then signing a contract with one of the biggest clubs in the world.”
Those were the words of Bryan Zaragoza, who signed for Bayern Munich in January and has been on a journey to the elite of European football that is as unpredictable and swift as the football he plays.
“He has always been an exciting player, one of those with the ability to create and make things happen,” said the editor of Football España, Ruairidh Barlow.
“But has never necessarily been earmarked for the top level, whether that be because he was a little bit small or an impression of a lack (of) control.”
Bryan, as he prefers to be known, grew up kicking his ball along the beaches and streets of Andalusia, Malaga, into his late teens. He wasn't thrust into an academy cycle. Instead of polishing his game under coaches and a nutrition plan, he was turning out for his local side, Conejito Málaga and Tiro Pichón. Not for want of trying, as Bryan’s name would turn up on trial lists across Southern Spain as he bounced around the likes of Real Betis, Real Valladolid and Málaga but no smoke.
Eventually, Zaragoza’s time in local parks and beaches played with anyone who would, carved him into an attractive prospect worth taking a chance on, even if a clear enhancement of his tactical know-how was needed. In 2019, Granada took that chance.
Zaragoza arrived at the club’s academy rough around the edges. At 5ft 5, he weaves around the pitch with the ball and scurries other players off it as his way of imposing himself. Time in the academy would aim to smooth it out—and 12 months was all it took.
Time spent on loan to the third division, and the club’s B side fast-tracked an ‘unknown quantity’ in his 20s to a decisive figure in a promotion run.
Speaking to AS, former Granada reserve manager Rúben Torrecilla stated, “At a tactical level, he (Zaragoza) had to improve. He liked to attack, but it was difficult for him to defend. Coach (Paco) López has done a good job with him.”
Aitor Karanka was the one who gave Zaragoza his debut. But in must-win games, López entrusted him, and that faith was firmly repaid back towards the end of the season.
López, who replaced Karanka that season, was tasked with guiding Granada back into the first division in a five-team tussle.
Zaragoza, who had only four games before the three-game run, would be more than known. Twisting and gliding past defences with seasoned veterans and ambitions of their own. He’s nimble and petite, but once the ball reaches his feet on the left wing. His presence in any game grows with each step — scoring vital (and wonderfully taken) goals in all three games.
He had risen with the club into the first division and established himself as a player with it—an ‘x-factor’, you may say.
“He came out of nowhere and emerged as a concrete starter in the first division for Granada,” said Barlow.
Zaragoza played with the same relentless, fear-no-one style as he did with his local sides in Malaga when up against the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid, akin to Pedro reincarnated. His displays against Barcelona—scoring two and terrorising the then-league leaders—subsequently led to Zaragoza being the first Granada player in almost 50 years to be picked for Spain back in October 2022.
At one point in the season, no one in the league, in Europe, had attempted more dribbles than him. Only Manchester City-pending Sávio from La Liga surprise package Girona could rival him when it came to success in 1v1 take-on.
“He is the X-factor that Spain has craved,” Barlow said.
Receiving a maiden call-up, albeit as an alternative for the injured Yeremy Pino, in an era where Spain boasts an array of wide players that any nation would envy, was a recognition of an admirable rise and a talent capable of competing with the country’s best.
In his first three minutes in a Spain shirt vs. Scotland, he trademarkly stood up his opponent, dropped his shoulder and started to motor inside, crafting a chance in the process and showing those who had yet to know what the noise was all about.
45 minutes donning the number 10 shirt of Spain, he very much looked the part and showed the potential of his value.
While Zaragoza was turning it on, clubs were circling. The pool of those teams grew with a rumoured clause of just €14 million.
To snatch a winger producing the output and highlights in a side battling at the depth of the table for a minimal modern-day amount felt like a no-brainer.
Brentford’s Moneyball-esque strategy had pinpointed Zaragoza as an ideal match for Premier League football and eventual big-money profit, but it was Bayern Munich's big club allure that would muscle themselves into negotiations and the inevitable confirmation of a signature paying a million more of said clause.
The initial deal was structured around Zaragoza arriving at the Allianz Arena in the summer but was forwarded to January, with injuries to Kingsley Coman and the ever-growing threat of not having the threat to Bayer Leverkusen’s rise to the title fight.
The hurried nature of Zaragoza’s move has shown to be less than ideal for the intrigue of all.
Barlow expressed a “surprise” at how quickly Bayern moved for Zaragoza.
Thomas Tuchel has cited a “language barrier” as a factor in the adaptation process, which resulted in only 178 minutes of play since arriving on 1. February—a boosted minute tally towards the end of the season.
Bayern are embroiled in a public restructuring and journey for leadership, as Tuchel’s resignation and the club’s chaotic public search for his successor have shown. And Zaragoza is a by-product.
Being a rotational figure for one of Europe’s elite juggernauts may be a conceivable role for someone, but if Zaragoza’s quick rise and even quicker feet are to show, he's not one for settling. That fiery nature has been missing in Spain’s 2020s era. The ascents of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams have lessened such a need. Still, if given the chance, Zaragoza could provide it to unsettle the potential stubborn defences of Italy, Croatia and Albania in the closing stages, as well as some shopping trips around Munich.