Athletic Bilbao without Iker Muniain is certainly unimaginable for many Basques. But after 19 years in red and white, the home-grown player is set to leave the club
“You should leave when it’s at its best” – Iker Muniain obviously took this saying to heart: after winning the Copa del Rey, the 31-year-old will leave his training club Athletic Bilbao in the summer after 19 years. He announced his departure in a video message from the dressing room. “I’m leaving happy, with the dream of winning my long-awaited 25th cup title,” said Muniain, whose contract expires at the end of the season.
The attacking player joined Bilbao’s youth academy at the age of twelve and showed early signs of his potential: He made his first-team debut at the age of 16 in the Europa League qualifier against Bern on July 30, 2009 and scored his first goal in the second leg – since then he has held the title of the youngest goalscorer in the club’s history. It was his first of a total of 75 goals in a Basque shirt
Muniain applies the lines of a song to his life
Despite numerous appearances in finals, with the exception of two Supercopas (2015 and 2020), it was not enough for a “big” title for a long time. Just like Bilbao, he had a certain final curse attached to him. With his youth club, he lost the Europa League final once and the Copa del Rey final a whopping five times
However, the Zurigorri put an end to this at the beginning of the month against Mallorca (4:2 on penalties) and celebrated winning the cup again after a 40-year drought. From Muniain’s point of view: mission accomplished. “One of the songs we sang during the celebrations says: ‘I confess that you were the best thing in my life, but now, my love, the time has come for us to part’,” the veteran translates the lines of the song to his farewell.
Bilbao: Muniain is an “idol for new generations “
But it’s not just the data – he played the second most games in the club’s history with 557 matches in 15 seasons for the professionals – that show “the playmaker’s significant contribution to Athletic”, as Bilbao wrote. “Like other legendary Lions, Muniain preferred to stay at home and compete with his own team, with the team that developed him and gave him the opportunity to turn professional, refusing to sign for other clubs”, the club paid homage to its captain in the press release.
He is therefore an “idol for the new generations”. He could inspire them one last time with another success in the current season. “We will fight as hard as ever in the remaining games to achieve this dream place in the Champions League,” said Muniain. They are currently three points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid