And just like that, the battle lines were redrawn…
A rivalry that maybe simmers more than boils over, has suddenly had the heat on its base cranked up. Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad have gone to war again as a new chapter in their history threatens to turn their admittedly awkward relationship into something bitter.
Before Aymeric Laporte had even made his way out of the exit door at Athletic’s famous Lezama training complex, plans were being made to secure his replacement. All smart clubs must act and Athletic are no different. Shackled by their Basque only policy, they had few options available to them.
The best one however, was right under their noses. A player in fact, that came from an area noted for its ties to the club. Inigo Martinez had grown up in the streets where they hang red and white flags as opposed to blue and white, while his friends all donned Athletic shirts as they kicked a ball around in the picturesque town of Ondarroa. Inigo even tried to play for Athletic, as he was part of a local team associated with the club.
He ended up at Real Sociedad eventually however, and there was expected to carve his name into club history. In a way he has, but perhaps in the eyes of those in San Sebastian for all the wrong reasons. At 34-years-old and having seen better days, Xabi Prieto wouldn’t be captain at Real Sociedad for much longer. It was Inigo who was primed for the role, and even though he’s just 26, seemed to represent the club better than anyone.
Gorka Elustondo followed a similar path in 2015 but it caused no real ructions between the clubs. You’d have to go back to 1995/1996 when Joseba Etxeberria left la Real for Athletic to find a similar level of scorn to what this Inigo deal has created. Then, the young exciting Etxeberria was involved a whirlwind deal which infuriated all at la Real so much so that all relations between the two Basque giants were broken off for two years. Even the courts were involved at one point.
Inigo moving across the divide evokes images of that deal, the same sort of underlying feeling is there. There’s plenty of material from the centre-back in press clippings and videos declaring his undying love for la Real too, in one press conference even saying he would never sign for Athletic.
It seems the fickle, dark nature of football has even trickled through to the Basque Country. A place where values, pride and history means everything. Athletic, with their Basque Only policy, are held up as a great example by fans of the club in terms of tradition and philosophy. Dissenters argue they have pushed the boundaries of what that policy really means, saying they’ve blurred the lines. There’s also the thorny issue of poaching young players, which Athletic have done so at a rapid rate over the years - Osasuna have been particularly unwilling victims in this regard.
Athletic of course will have their own defence, saying that they need to do things a little differently to compete. There are more talented Basque players around than ever before, and Athletic want every single one - it’s understandable. They received a windfall for Laporte, a player picked up by their scouts who operate in the French territory of the Basque Country, and simply wanted to replace him adequately.
Inigo’s part in this is key of course. He was willing to leave, frustrated at the lack of movement and progress made at la Real. There’s also the issue of a move to Barcelona failing to materialise in the summer, with Lionel Messi asking the club to hold off on the deal so his friend Javier Mascherano could stick around for a while longer. Links to Manchester City also came for Inigo, but in the end they went for Laporte. His only chance out of the club was to Athletic and he took it to somewhere he believes is a better place to develop and achieve things.
With all that being said, his €35m clause was activated by Athletic and met with genuine happiness by Inigo. As he stepped onto the San Makes turf for his presentation a smile beamed across his face, and while the different coloured stripes will take some getting used to, he had the look of a man who belonged there.
April 29th, 2018 will be a date etched on calendars everywhere in the Basque Country. It’s the day Inigo returns to Anoeta. The great Exteberría was given a pardon from the squad due to make his own return, and it will be interesting to see if Inigo goes the same way.
This deal won’t shock the world at large, but in one region of Spain they are shaking and there will the aftershocks for some time.
