Luis Núñez-Villavearán
Updated Sunday, April 7, 2024-20:28
Copa del Rey The almost assumed departure of Nico Williams, a star far from the sport
Chronicle Athletic finds its prize in penalties and wins its 24th Cup 40 years later
And
Berenger
adjusted it to the pole and San Mamés smiled from heaven. And
Arteta
scored three against
Brighton
to become the leader of the Premier while
Xabi Alonso
moves further and further away from Bayern to bring the Bundesliga ever closer to Leverkusen. And Real pressured PSG until
Mbappé
showed why he is the best player in the world. And
Mendilibar
came back from 4-0 in the Conference League with a 6-1 victory so that their Greek fans received them at dawn with the
Porrompompero
.
And all this happens to people from a land of barely 7,000 square kilometers and just over two million inhabitants. Basque football is in fashion and
Athletic Bilbao
, after 40 years and five lost finals this century, has put it in orbit against the 'Vasco'
Aguirre
team .
"What marks the imprint of Basque football is its competitiveness." It is
Xabier Fernández Monje
, head of Communication at In-Komunikazioa and former press chief of Athletic Club who affirms it. Fernández Monje also has several books related to the history of Basque football and, especially, the Bilbao team. The team that, together with
Real Sociedad
, are the greatest exponents of the region.
Aitor Ocio
, former Athletic Club footballer, agrees with Fernández Monje that Basque football, historically, has always been "a reference." "It is a territory where it is a very important element," says the former defender of the germ of the current team, of which
Iker Muniain
and
Óscar de Marcos
still survive .
Athletic, upon arrival in Bilbao.Juan FlorEFE/Athletic
Logically, Basque football has gone through more successful times such as the early 1930s of Athletic Club or the early 1980s where the lions and Real Sociedad shared several leagues between them. "Sometimes it's a matter of streaks," says
Ocio
regarding those victories in the national competition which, in the case of the Bilbao team, have been spread out more over time in the case of the Copa del Rey.
However, in addition to the good situation of the clubs in the region, at this time the quality of its footballers and the level that its coaches are showing also coincide. "In the players there is a very high competitiveness gene that extends to the coaches," says
Fernández Monje
and highlights their work capacity and discretion in the face of scandal or the spotlight of others.
Xabi Alonso
is, today, the coach who monopolizes all the spotlights since he is about to snatch the first Bundesliga from Bayern in the last 11 years. "His father is a coach and he was a player whose position on the field made him know how to read the games. That talent has helped him, in addition to the vocation he had," praises
Aitor Ocio
, the Tolosarra who could give Bayer Leverkusen the first league in its history.
Mendilibar, after winning the Europa League.AFP
In the Premier, in addition to
Mikel Arteta
fighting with his Arsenal for the title for the second consecutive year,
Unai Emery
has managed to get Aston Villa into the Champions League. Meanwhile,
Mendilibar
continues to expand his legend in Greece after saying goodbye to Sevilla with a save and the seventh Europa League. "When a coach has been a footballer, he helps manage a team because he understands how they feel and allows them to empathize," highlights
Ocio
.
That happens to
Ernesto Valverde
and
Imanol Alguacil
who have to manage large generations of footballers, many of them international. Both with very sui generis philosophies in today's globalized football. "The Basque teams have been able to read the future of football well," explains
Xabier Fernández Monje
and highlights the work that is being carried out in Lezama and Zubieta, the main exponents of grassroots football in the region. "It may be that the quarry is more cared for than in other parts," adds
Ocio
.
Worth
Zubimendi, Nico Williams, Mikel Merino
and
Oyarzábal
are among the most valuable players in LaLiga according to Transfermarkt with a market price of 50 million each. Spaniards only surpass them
Gabi, Pedri
and
Lamine Yamal
. "Many times it is trust, but it is also important to have patience," highlights
Fernández Monje
.
Clubs, coaches and players all hand in hand to place Basque football in a privileged position in today's football. At a time, by the way, where sport is recovering from the blow of the pandemic, something that has further exacerbated the economic distance between large and small, but it seems that in Euskadi they have managed to avoid that blow thanks to their philosophy and their resilience. "The teams, not just the Basques, if they want to balance the accounts are forced to look at the people at home. The Basques have it easier because they have done it more times," says
Monje
.
For now, Basque teams, players and coaches have already inaugurated the record this year with a Copa del Rey with historic debts,
Xabi Alonso
aspires to three more titles with his Bayer Leverkusen and
Arteta
and
Mendilibar
one each.