Iván Villar Scouting Report: Celta Vigo’s Third-Choice Goalkeeper

Quick scout answer: Iván Villar is a 29-year-old, right-footed Spanish goalkeeper who has been at RC Celta de Vigo since he was nine. He has 78 first-team appearances for the club (61 in LaLiga, 15 in the Copa del Rey, two in Europe, per Wikipedia’s table dated 17 December 2025) and holds Celta’s record for the longest run without conceding: 430 minutes, set in March 2023. In 2026-27 he is the third-choice keeper behind Ionuț Radu and Altay Bayındır and, according to FotMob’s match log, had not played a competitive minute as of 8 November 2026. His contract expires on 30 June 2027. He is a sound shot-stopper who is comfortable with short passing, but he does not command his area and has gone roughly two years without a league start. Our GegenSports rating is 65/100: a dependable number two at top-flight level, a possible starter one tier down.

This is the third profile in our walk through the Celta squad, after Radu and Bayındır. Judging a third-choice goalkeeper means working with thin recent evidence, so this report leans on two things: the seasons in which Villar actually played, and how the club has treated him since. Where data providers disagree, we say so.

Player Profile

A One-Club Career, With Two Loans

Villar started at local side Rápido Bahía and moved to Celta’s academy as a child. Wikipedia dates the move to 2008; the club’s own renewal announcement points to 2007 and quotes him saying, “This is my home; I’ve been here since I was nine.” He made his Celta B debut at 16, on 13 October 2013, in a 1-0 win over Cultural Leonesa in the third tier. His LaLiga debut followed on 14 May 2017, a 3-1 defeat at Deportivo Alavés.

He joined the first-team squad in July 2017, extended his deal to 2023 in January 2018 and spent six months on loan at Levante without playing. A full season back with the B team (37 league games in 2018-19) gave him the minutes a bench role would not have.

His first real run came in 2020-21. With Celta short of fit goalkeepers, he took the shirt under Óscar García and finished with 21 league appearances. That summer he went to Tokyo with Spain’s Olympic squad. A loan to Leganés in the second tier followed (10 league games, two in the cup). Back in Vigo in 2022-23, he began as understudy to Agustín Marchesín, took over when the Argentine suffered a serious injury in February 2023, and on 18 March 2023 reached 430 minutes without conceding, passing the 385-minute club mark shared by Pinto and Rubén Blanco.

Since then he has been a back-up: first to Vicente Guaita, then to Radu.

The figures come from Wikipedia’s career table. That table gives a career total of 185, but its own rows add up to 176, which matches FotMob’s club-by-club counts. We use 176.

Where He Stands in 2026-27

The summer told the story early. Minuto Noventa reported on 20 July 2026 that Villar was the only goalkeeper in the travelling group not to play in the friendly against Braga; Radu took the first half and reserve keeper Coke Carrillo the second. A week later COPE Vigo reported that the club had advised him to find a new team if he wanted to play, and that he intended to stay and see out his contract. Celta then brought in Bayındır on loan from Manchester United.

FotMob lists Villar as an unused substitute in each LaLiga fixture between 13 September and 8 November 2026. Comuniate’s fantasy guide describes his role bluntly as “third goalkeeper”. His next realistic chance is the Copa del Rey first-round tie against Salamanca CF UDS on 13 November. Who starts that match, Bayındır or Villar, will be the first clear sign of how the staff rank their back-ups.

Appearances are from Wikipedia; goals conceded are our reading of Fichajes.com’s season table, whose column headers were not visible, so treat them as indicative. The per-game averages are our own arithmetic.

The firmest single data point is from 2023-24: Futbolfantasy records 1,014 minutes and 28 saves, which against 18 goals conceded gives a save rate of roughly 61 percent (a rough figure, since own goals are not separated). Regular LaLiga starters tend to sit around 68 to 72 percent. In the Europa League last season, FootyStats has him saving six of nine shots on target across 180 minutes. All of these are small samples.

How He Plays

Villar is a line goalkeeper: most of his value comes from reflexes and positioning inside the six-yard box. He sets his feet early, stays upright and reacts well at close range. The 430-minute run in 2023 shows what that looks like behind an organised defence.

He is also tidy in one-on-ones. He closes the angle at the right moment and makes himself big instead of going to ground, a common way for a keeper without great reach to compensate.

With the ball, his academy education shows. He is at ease in short build-up, which matters in Claudio Giráldez’s back-three system, where the goalkeeper acts as an extra passing option. FotMob’s percentile comparison puts his accurate long balls at 61 (out of 100, against players in his position). Radu offers more range under pressure, which is part of why the Romanian is the undisputed starter.

The weak spot is command of the area. The same FotMob comparison has him in the 4th percentile for both high claims and sweeper actions. The page does not say which sample that covers, so we read it as a tendency, not a verdict. It does fit the eye test: he prefers his line to the crowd, and he is cautious about leaving his box to deal with balls in behind.

Strengths

• Reflex shot-stopping: club-record 430 minutes without conceding in 2022-23; 24 goals conceded in 19 league games that season, his best rate as a regular.
• Reliable when called on: three goals conceded in three cup ties and three in two Europa League games in 2025-26, despite having no league rhythm.
• Short build-up: comfortable receiving under light pressure and playing through the first line; above-average long-pass accuracy on FotMob’s comparison.
• Availability: no long-term injury appears in the sources we checked, and he has been on the bench for every league game FotMob lists this season.
• Low cost, low maintenance: Fichajes.com estimates a salary of about €27k a month (an estimate, not a confirmed figure), and he has accepted a back-up role under several starters without public friction.

Weaknesses

• Aerial command: at 1.83 to 1.86 m he is at the lower end for a top-flight goalkeeper, and his high-claim percentile on FotMob is 4.
• Save rate: roughly 61 percent in his last extended league run (2023-24); FotMob’s save-percentage comparison places him in the 22nd percentile.
• Match rhythm: his last league appearances came in 2024-25 (four games, nine conceded). He has not played in LaLiga since.
• No full season at the top level: 21 league games is his career high in LaLiga. His only 30-plus seasons came with the B team.

GegenSports Rating: 65/100

The rating uses our own goalkeeper scale and is not taken from any game or third-party platform.

Comparable Goalkeepers

These comparisons are about profile and career shape, not level.

• Rubén Blanco: the same Celta academy, an early first-team debut and a career spent moving between starter and understudy. He co-held the record Villar broke.
• Edgar Badia: a reflex keeper of around 1.80 m who built a long career in Spain’s top two divisions by positioning well. The difference is that Badia proved it as a first choice over hundreds of games.
• Aitor Fernández: another keeper of about 1.82 m who has served as both starter and rotation option in LaLiga; a realistic template for Villar’s next five years.

Transfer Outlook

None of the following is a reported offer; these are scenarios built from public information.

• January 2027: an early exit for a token fee or by mutual termination would free Celta’s wage bill and give Villar half a season of football.
• Summer 2027: a free transfer when his deal ends is the most likely outcome, given press reports that he plans to see out the contract.
• A new role at Celta: if Bayındır’s loan is not made permanent, a short, cheaper extension as number two is conceivable.

Best-fit leagues: Spain’s second division is the natural step, since he knows the language, the style and the league from his Leganés loan. Portugal’s top flight is close to Galicia geographically and culturally. Greece and MLS are both open to experienced Spanish goalkeepers. Turkey’s Süper Lig is a narrower fit: he would count as a foreign player there, and clubs rarely spend a foreign slot on a back-up. We rate his Süper Lig suitability at 5 out of 10.

England: this is not legal advice, but a Governing Body Endorsement looks difficult. He has no senior caps and almost no league minutes over the past year, so automatic qualification is doubtful, and clubs tend to reserve exception places for younger prospects.

Recruitment Verdict

Villar is an inexpensive, professional goalkeeper with 61 LaLiga games, good reflexes and adequate feet, limited by his aerial presence and two years without league football. For a club that defends deep, builds short and needs a free-transfer number two in 2027, he makes sense. A club wanting a starter should watch every minute he plays between now and May before committing. Our advice: keep him on the watchlist and revisit in summer 2027.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Iván Villar?

A Spanish goalkeeper born on 9 July 1997 in Aldán, Galicia. He came through Celta Vigo’s academy and has spent his whole career at the club apart from two loans.

Which club does Iván Villar play for?

RC Celta de Vigo in LaLiga, where he wears No. 25 and is third choice in 2026-27.

How tall is Iván Villar?

Sources differ: 1.83 m on English Wikipedia, 1.86 m on Spanish Wikipedia and Fichajes.com.

When does his contract end?

On 30 June 2027, according to the club’s announcement and FotMob.

Has he played this season?

Not as of 8 November 2026. FotMob lists him as an unused substitute in Celta’s league matches.

How many games has he played for Celta?

78 for the first team as of 17 December 2025 (61 league, 15 cup, two in Europe), plus 86 for Celta B.

What record does he hold?

Celta’s longest run without conceding: 430 minutes, reached on 18 March 2023.

Did he win an Olympic medal?

Yes. He was part of the Spain squad that took silver at Tokyo 2020.

What is his market value?

Estimates range from about €440k (FotMob) to €830k (Flashscore).

Is he leaving Celta?

Spanish outlets reported in July 2026 that the club advised him to look for a move and that he chose to stay. Nothing official has been announced.

More from GegenSports

• Dani Olmo scouting report (Barcelona)
• Fermín López scouting report (Barcelona)
• Raphinha scouting report (Barcelona)
• Jonathan David scouting report (Atlético Madrid)
• Régis Gurtner scout report (RC Lens goalkeeper)

Sources

• RC Celta official website: Iván Villar contract extension announcement
• FotMob: player page and match log (viewed 12 November 2026)
• Wikipedia (English and Spanish): Iván Villar
• COPE Vigo, 27 July 2026; Minuto Noventa, 20 July 2026
• Comuniate: RC Celta 2026-27 fantasy guide
• Fichajes.com, Futbolfantasy, FootyStats, Soccerway, Flashscore

Transfermarkt and FBref could not be accessed directly; figures were cross-checked across the sources above. Save rate and per-game averages are GegenSports calculations.