Athletic Club star Iker Muniain has on Saturday moved to reveal his appreciation for former teammate and Barcelona star Iñigo Martínez.
This comes after the stopper departed Xavi’s Barcelona camp this week, to link up with Ernesto Valverde’s squad in Bilbao.
Iñigo, for his part, brought a close to his spell on the books of Athletic Club last summer, to make the move to Catalunya’s capital as a free agent.
Still maintaining a close bond with a number of his ex-teammates, though, the 32-year-old was sure not to miss out on the Copa del Rey celebrations.
The Lehoiak, last weekend, brought an end to a painful 40-year wait for silverware, courtesy of a penalty shootout downing of RCD Mallorca in the finale of the Copa.
Fully aware of what a special occasion was in store in the city he called home for five years, the aforementioned Iñigo, in turn, travelled to Bilbao, to take his boat out onto the river for ‘La Gabarra’.
And, as alluded to above, such efforts on the part of the Spanish international have today been recognised, by a one-time teammate at San Mamés.
Speaking in an interview with COPE, as cited by Mundo Deportivo, this weekend, Iker Muniain revealed his gratitude to ‘a very good friend’:
“We thank him very much for his presence in the estuary because it also shows what he has experienced, what has been instilled in him. He wanted to be here with his family, who are Athletic fans to the death, on such a beautiful day. This was a day to celebrate wherever you are, whenever you are.
“You always remember where he is from, what he has done. I would like to thank Iñigo, who is a very good friend of mine and I love him dearly, for being on his boat in the estuary experiencing this moment.”
Conor Laird | GSFN
