It should come as a surprise to no one that some of the most memorable experiences of our time in Bilbao thus far can be attributed to sports. As I previously posted, during our first months here Athletic Club was advancing in the Copa del Rey. This allowed us to attend our first match at San Mamés and become friends with our neighbors.
After defeating Atlético Madrid in both legs of the semifinal, Athletic Club advanced to the Final. They would play Mallorca on April 6 in Sevilla. While Athletic Club had won the Copa del Rey 23 times [second only to FC Barcelona] and advanced to the Final 40 times [most recently in 2020 and 2021], they hadn’t won the title since 1984. The people of País Vasco/Euskadi desperately craved a victory in this year’s Final.
An important note about Athletic Club: Every player on the roster is either from Euskadi or was raised in the region. According to legend, this stems from a dispute following the 1911 Copa del Rey where Athletic Club were stripped of their title for fielding British players in the Championship. In frustration, the team said they’d field an all-Basque team the following season. This policy has remained in place for more than a century. Connect the Basque-only policy to the region’s strong cultural heritage and it only magnifies the significance of the club. It also produced Athletic Club’s tagline for the 2024 Copa del Rey Final: Unique in the World.
In the weeks leading-up to the match, nearly every apartment, government building, and business displayed their Athletic Club pride with flags, scarves, and banners. Bakeries began selling pastries and cakes with red and white icing. The Athletic Club crest could be found on beer bottles and potato chip bags. And, in the week before the match, fans were wearing their jerseys, pañuelos, and scarves every. single. day. [Even when the temperature was above 80º!]
along la ribera.
On the morning of the Final I went for a run along la ribera. The match wouldn’t kick-off until 10:00pm, but the streets were already filled with fans enjoying beverages, flying flags, and singing the Athletic Club anthem. We started our afternoon slowly, knowing we needed to save some energy for the long night ahead. But, we eventually ventured out to the streets to join the growing crowds. The energy was high in every neighborhood. It was a very warm day, especially by the standards of April in Bilbao, but the atmosphere still gave me chills.
before kick-off.
We’d known for months that our favorite bar would be closed for the weekend, as the owner was traveling to Sevilla for the match. But, our neighbors with whom we’d watched the semifinals had invited us to join them at another local restaurant for the Final. While the restaurant was much quieter than the Plaza Nueva or the streets of the Casco Viejo, we were happy to be invited to watch the match alongside them.
Mallorca scored early in the first half and, although Athletic Club had some good looks, they went into halftime trailing 1-0. Luckily they scored an equalizer early in the second half and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Athletic Club again had some good looks in the second half, but they were unable to score again in regulation. The match went to extra time and, ultimately, penalty kicks.
After the first round of penalty kicks it was tied 1-1. In the next two rounds Julen Agirrezabala, the back-up goalie who was playing for an injured Unai Simon, made amazing saves, while Iker Muniain and Mikel Vesga’s shots were successful. Mallorca made their next penalty, leaving Athletic Club ahead 3-2. Álex Berenguer, who had scored the decisive goal in the first leg of the semifinal, soon sealed the championship with his successful penalty kick.
Enthusiastic cheering turned to tears, as patrons and the players on the pitch were overcome with the emotions of a four-decade long wait. Fans we’d never met before the match embraced us. Our neighbors popped bottles of cava and the room filled with the sound of clinking glasses and murmurs of “txin-txin” [the local equivalent to cheers]. Athletic, Athletic, zu zara nagusia!
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