Tales of the Loyalists: despite big club interest, Iker Muniaín never left Athletic Bilbao

In the football world you have the little heartthrobs, the big heartthrobs and then the Athletic Bilbao players. The love of Athletic players for the club is superhuman, Athletic is much more than just a club to them. Iker Muniaín is one of them.

Athletic Club de Bilbao. A modest team from the Basque Country that is completely unique in professional football. How? Only players born in the Basque Country can play for the club. It is not uncommon for players to dedicate their entire careers to the club.

For average players who have no reason to transfer, it’s not so strange. But for talented footballers, over whom the world’s big clubs are circling and they still refuse and stay at Athletic, it is extremely admirable.

For example, Kepa Arrizabalaga left Athletic for Chelsea or Aymeric Laporte for Manchester City. Since around the 2013/14 season, English clubs wanted one more player from San Mamés, but he resisted all offers. His name is Iker Muniaín.

The super-talented youngster

Iker joined the club’s academy at the age of 12. But he didn’t stay in the youth for long, because at 16 he became the youngest Athletic player ever to play for the A-team. In July 2009, he played in the preliminary round of the Europa League. A week later he scored his first goal.

His talent immediately caused a stir in Spain, with the media giving him the nickname “the Spanish Messi”. His height, dynamism and ball handling were reminiscent of the star Argentine. In his first season, he played in 35 games and scored 6+3.

From the next season onwards, he had already cemented his place in Athletic’s starting line-up. His most breakthrough season came in 2013/14, when he scored 10 goals and added 5 assists. And it was at that time that his transfer to the Premier League was much in the offing.

Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool. Muniaín had his pick, there was a queue for him. But the Spanish footballer chose to stay at his beloved Athletic. Then in 2015 came the first serious knee injury, it was the injuries that then put a lot of brakes on Muniaín’s career.

The successive leader

The young talent that the whole of Europe was fighting over became a leader who dragged Athletic with his performances on the pitch. And so we move on to 2018 and another big year of interest from Liverpool. Back then, the Merseyside club had a huge interest, with Jürgen Klopp very much in the running for the Spanish whizz-kid.

Athletic wouldn’t give him any trouble for his services, all it took was a nod and Muniaín would play for the Champions League finalist and the team that dominated the most prestigious competition the following year. However, the then 25-year-old footballer decided to stay in Bilbao and sign a new contract.

“I don’t want to have a set price, nor do I want to be for sale. I want to go on with this club hand in hand until the end. I want to finish my career here one day and have a lot of nice things until then,” he shouted to the world at the time.

After a few more injuries, luck smiled on Muniaín again. As captain, he led Athletic to win the Spanish Super Cup in 2020, winning the trophy for the second time (2015/16).

In the 2021/22 season, he also had a great year individually. He recorded a 4+10 record in La Liga, added 2 goals and an assist in the Copa del Rey, and assisted one goal in the Super Cup. In January 2022, he practically single-handedly knocked Barcelona out of the Cup Eight Finals with his gala performance.

A fan favourite

He has also earned huge respect from the fans. And even from fans of other teams, with Athletic fans it’s a given. By never leaving for a bigger club and despite his undeniable quality, Muniaín still remains at his beloved Athletic, he has earned himself immortality.

“When he retires, he will be one of the greatest legends. I love him. It’s a huge shame all the injuries he’s had have damaged his career a lot. He’s what we talked about, he feels like he belongs in the family. He’s got a few tattoos marking Athletic as well. We are nicknamed “Leones” (Lions) and he has that tattooed on his calf with the club’s emblem. On his other leg he has the Super Cup from 2015, where we beat Barcelona. He is the embodiment of the fact that we are like a family, that we all know each other, he is a great example of that,” Jon Beltzaran, an Athletic fan living in the Czech Republic, described Muniaína in an interview with Ruik.

“He signed a new contract last year and didn’t want a buyout clause. He said he was happy at Athletic and wanted to stay there until the club told him he could no longer afford it. Because of these things, Iker will be an eternal legend,” Jon added.

Muniaín, despite all the interest, has remained loyal to Athletic and will probably not move anywhere for the rest of his career.