Diego López, the 'Guajín' of Valencia CF

Diego López is one of Valencia CF's players of the moment. The young Asturian forward is cementing his place in the first team after making his debut in the 22-23 season. Like all footballers, Diego also has some interesting facts or superstitions about him.

The Turón-born forward joined the VCF Academy in 2021 to play with VCF Mestalla. His good performances meant that, in August last year, he made his debut with the first team in LaLiga. From that moment on, and after taking advantage of opportunities, he began to cement his place in the Valencia CF first team, playing an increasingly significant role and involvement which proved to be decisive in last season's run-in.

As of today, Diego López is Valencia CF's third top scorer (2 goals) of the 23-24 season.  Valencia CF's young forward great performances have not only been seen with Valencia CF, but also with the Spanish Under-21 national team. Diego López made his debut and scored on his debut, in September, with 'La Rojita' during the qualifiers for the European Under-21 Championship 2025. In addition, he is once again on Santi Denia's squad list for the fixtures in October.

Diego's idol is a very special Valencia CF legend, David Villa. Guaje means 'kid' in Asturian, a nickname by which Villa is commonly known. Thus, Diego has been nicknamed 'Guajín', for being young, Asturian and having a great eye for goal.

Another of the Valencia CF forward's curiosities is his way of celebrating goals, he has a signature celebration: he makes the gesture of being cold with his arms crossed at chest level. This way of celebrating goals is due to Trae Young, NBA Atlanta Hawks' player and one of Diego Lopez's favourites. Trae Young usually celebrates scoring points like this and so does Diego.

Another interesting feature about Diego is that he has been wearing a compression bandage around his left hand for a few years now. He wears a bandage around his arm by necessity and as a precaution, after a taking blow to his hand during a game. This bandage serves as protection against any blow or as a support.

Lastly, one of Diego López's superstitions is to kiss his shin pads, in which he has a photo with his parents and his nephew, before running out onto the pitch.