[FM24] Cathedral of football

[Football Stories]

Episode 1 / June 2023

- Hey Asier! - a loud voice greeted me first, and only after a moment, a figure of a burly man emerged from behind a pillar, carrying two mugs of beer.
- Hi Mikel - I replied impatiently. - I'll get you a watch for your next birthday. By the way, which one is it? The fortieth?

Mikel Larrañaga looked me up and down, furrowing his bushy brows.

- That's for my tardiness - he said, placing mugs with golden liquid on the table. - Consider yourself invited to the birthday party. With or without a gift.

Bar Indarra is like many pubs in this city, but its location suited us particularly well - just a few hundred meters from work. Regularly, Mikel and I would head to this place after long meetings in the conference room, and we would drown the effects of fatigue in the bar's mugs. And that's where we met on this hot June afternoon.

- Tell me, curiosity is eating me up. How was the meeting with Ernesto? That guy is one of a kind, isn't he? - The Basque man grinned with a full smile. - Fits this city like a glove.

Yes, that's true - I thought to myself. My companion was right. This city is unique, and Ernesto Valverde is its proud representative.

Or at least he was in June 2023.

Edited November 12, 2023 by Football Stories

[Football Stories]

Episode 2 / July 2023

Athletic Bilbao is my second home. Although, upon closer consideration, I could simplify it. Just say – Bilbao is my home.

I was born here.

I've never been abroad.

Heck, I don't even go south for vacation; I stay right here, on the Costa Vasca.

I'm thirty-five years old, and my entire life has been intertwined with the Basque Country. Euskera is my first language, and I'm one of those guys who, if not for football, would probably be cursing loudly over a pan in some pub kitchen.

Football taught me humility, as well as the exuberant dances of joy after victories, reminiscent of an explosion of emotions. But football also taught me the taste of bitterness, like the downpour at the stadium after a defeat, which weighed heavily on the heart and made the soul speak in silence. These emotions accompanied me every step on the field, creating a symphony of feelings that shaped my football soul. It's these moments that stole my heart and made me a person who values both triumphs and lessons from defeats.

For me, football is not just a game – it's life, shaping me at every stage, teaching me respect for the process, not just the results. Because in the end, I believe that in football, it's not just about the score but the values you carry with your attitude and what you have to offer to the world. And the conversation with Ernesto Valverde, which Mikel asked me about, wasn't about a coaching change in Athletic's first team. At least not as the head coach.

My name is Asier Ibarra, and as of July 17, 2023, I became the coach of Basconia, a fifth-division team – or, as some may prefer, the C team of Athletic Bilbao.

Edited November 14, 2023 by Football Stories