Celta game a homecoming for Mina and Rodrigo

A game against Celta Vigo awaits Valencia CF this weekend, and for two of the club's strikers the occasion marks a return to the place where they spent their formative years.
Santi Mina and Rodrigo Moreno both spent time in the Celta youth setup, with Mina progressing to the first team.

Mina is one of the brightest stars to emerge from the Celta academy, and was born and bred in Vigo. His father played for the club between 1981 and 1984, and young Santi followed in his footsteps by making his first team LaLiga debut in February of 2013.

The Galician scored a total of 13 goals for Celta, including a famous 4 in a game against Rayo Vallecano in April of 2015. He remains the youngest player ever to score a quartet of goals in a league game in the top flight.

Mina scored against Celta Vigo last season at Balaidos, putting Valencia CF ahead in a game that ended 1-1. He missed the first encounter with his former club this season through a knee injury.

Strike partner Rodrigo also has a history with Galicia, despite having been born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The forward came to the northwest of Spain aged 6 years old, and played for Ureca (now Val Miñor), before the side from Vigo came calling.

He moved his way up through the ranks, before playing with the Juvenil A squad -winning the División de Honor and reaching the Copa de Campeones final. From there he would be picked up by Real Madrid, moving to several clubs before settling in Valencia in 2014.

The pair have fond memories of Vigo, but will put them to one side for 90 minutes when the Matchday 20 encounter gets underway this Saturday.