Part consolation and part end of an era. That is what the ACB League title that Barcelona was able to win, finally on the fast track, against Chus Mateo's Real Madrid means.. The already announced goodbye to Nikola Mirotic is just the tip of the iceberg in a Barcelona basketball section that, once again, will face cuts. If possible, much more serious than before. With a view to the coming course, the budget could be reduced by 10 million euros compared to the around 44 million that it has been counting on throughout the campaign that has now ended. It's time to tighten the belt again. Above all, seeing that the expense has not translated into a more than highly desired third Euroleague.

For now, Mirotic has become the first victim of this new policy in the basketball section of Barça. As the Hispanic Montenegrin player himself stressed last week, as soon as it was learned that the club did not count on him for next season, they had not even raised the possibility of lowering his salary.. An option to which, as he slipped, he would have been more than willing. Yours, perhaps, will be the most popular output. But not the only one. For now, there are two players whose contract ends on June 30 and who do not seem to be exactly on the priority list: Sertac Sanli and Kyle Kuric.

The first has not finished setting a satisfactory performance in the paint, while the second has been gradually disappearing from the plans of a Sarunas Jasikevicius who is also on the tightrope. Mike Tobey, for his part, is also ending his contract, but the departure of Mirotic, and his relatively affordable record, can play in his favor to continue.

The coach's doubt

As for Jasikevicius, if the Lithuanian wants to continue directing the destinies of Barca basketball from the bench, he will have to tighten his belt. Unfortunately, the third consecutive failure in Europe is a very heavy burden. Very especially, if one takes into account that both this year and last year it was Real Madrid, in the semifinals, the team that cut him off. In 2022, the team then led by Pablo Laso fell 1-0 against Anadolu Efes (57-58). In the last edition, on the other hand, with Chus Mateo on the bench, they beat Olympiacos, also by the minimum (78-79)..

If the coach finally packs his bags, his compatriot Rokas Jokubaitis, who is very seduced by the idea of trying his luck in the NBA, could try to make the leap this year to some Knicks who would be delighted to have his services, after choosing him , with the 34th overall pick, in the 2021 draft.

The departure of the Lithuanian point guard, in this case, could be covered by Leandro Bolmaro whose journey through the NBA has not been as brilliant as he expected. In fact, at the beginning of this same year there was already speculation about the possibility of him returning to the Palau Blaugrana, but the circumstances did not quite line up satisfactorily and he ended up signing with Tenerife. Presumably, until the end of this season, although the player himself has already publicly assured that he does not rule out continuing to defend the colors of the Canarian team for longer.

With such a complicated panorama that the section has at an economic level, the Argentine's could be the only addition to the team with a view to this summer. As long as James Nnaji doesn't decide to try his luck in the United States. In that case, the arrival of some reinforcement for the painting would be little less than essential.

Part consolation and part end of an era. That is what the ACB League title that Barcelona was able to win, finally on the fast track, against Chus Mateo's Real Madrid means.. The already announced goodbye to Nikola Mirotic is just the tip of the iceberg in a Barcelona basketball section that, once again, will face cuts. If possible, much more serious than before. With a view to the coming course, the budget could be reduced by 10 million euros compared to the around 44 million that it has been counting on throughout the campaign that has now ended. It's time to tighten the belt again. Above all, seeing that the expense has not translated into a more than highly desired third Euroleague.

For now, Mirotic has become the first victim of this new policy in the basketball section of Barça. As the Hispanic Montenegrin player himself stressed last week, as soon as it was learned that the club did not count on him for next season, they had not even raised the possibility of lowering his salary.. An option to which, as he slipped, he would have been more than willing. Yours, perhaps, will be the most popular output. But not the only one. For now, there are two players whose contract ends on June 30 and who do not seem to be exactly on the priority list: Sertac Sanli and Kyle Kuric.

The first has not finished setting a satisfactory performance in the paint, while the second has been gradually disappearing from the plans of a Sarunas Jasikevicius who is also on the tightrope. Mike Tobey, for his part, also ends his contract, but Mirotic's departure, and his relatively affordable record, can play in his favor to continue.

The coach's doubt

As for Jasikevicius, if the Lithuanian wants to continue directing the destinies of Barca basketball from the bench, he will have to tighten his belt. Unfortunately, the third consecutive failure in Europe is a very heavy burden. Very especially, if one takes into account that both this year and last year it was Real Madrid, in the semifinals, the team that cut him off. In 2022, the team then led by Pablo Laso fell 1-0 against Anadolu Efes (57-58). In the last edition, on the other hand, with Chus Mateo on the bench, they beat Olympiacos, also by the minimum (78-79)..

If the coach finally packs his bags, his compatriot Rokas Jokubaitis, who is very seduced by the idea of trying his luck in the NBA, could try to make the leap this year to some Knicks who would be delighted to have his services, after choosing him , with the 34th overall pick, in the 2021 draft.

The departure of the Lithuanian point guard, in this case, could be covered by Leandro Bolmaro whose journey through the NBA has not been as brilliant as he expected. In fact, at the beginning of this year there was already speculation about the possibility of him returning to the Palau Blaugrana, but the circumstances did not quite line up satisfactorily and he ended up signing with Tenerife. Presumably, until the end of this season, although the player himself has already publicly assured that he does not rule out continuing to defend the colors of the Canarian team for longer.

With the panorama so complicated that the section has at an economic level, the Argentine's could be the only addition to the team with a view to this summer. As long as James Nnaji doesn't decide to try his luck in the United States. In that case, the arrival of some reinforcement for the painting would be little less than essential.

Tafarell Buene arrived in Spain because a guy left his quadriplegic father with one blow after calling him a “black shit” and sending him “back to his country”. So, at the age of nine, he landed in Vallecas from Kinshasa with his mother and sister in a family reunification resulting from that terrible racist attack.

Tafarell loved soccer since he was little and, thanks to a volunteer from the Movement Against Intolerance, he was admitted to the lower categories of Rayo Vallecano. “The team was incredible, I had problems with Spanish and the kids welcomed me very well,” he says in conversation with EL MUNDO. Then the problems started.

In games away from home the parents of other children shouted: “Get out of there, that black is going to kill you” or “be careful with that monkey” and he, since he did not understand Spanish very well, was not aware of the insults until that his coach told him: “Calm down, they have no education”. Was 10.

Tafarel looking at a Rayo Vallecano training field.

The insults grew with him, as did his ability to understand them.. “Black, fucking monkey, go to your fucking country”, they would let go of him, and they even spat at him when he approached the band for a ball. “They were things that hurt me, but I just wanted to play football,” says Tafarell. Shortly after, not even that could. The coaches did not summon him to protect him when the team played in hostile fields and he, of course, would come home crying inconsolably.. I was 15 years old.

“I thought about giving up, I stopped going to football for a few weeks because why, if every time I went to a field the insults were increasing,” says this former footballer who had to leave the sport he loved not because of this terrible situation but because of a groin injury that was difficult for him to recover from without surgery. “Racism in football is something common in all categories,” explains Tafarell. Because?

“It's not that sport exacerbates racism, it's that impunity scenarios make it possible,” reasons Esteban Ibarra, president of the Movement Against Intolerance.. It is an impunity, that of the masses, which also seemed judicial. It must be remembered that the Madrid Prosecutor filed the complaint of racist chants against Vinicius outside the Cívitas Metropolitano for “not being able to recognize any of the people who uttered the chants, since there were a considerable number of individuals gathered there.”

Vinicius being rebuked at the Mestalla stadium. Mateo Villalba Getty

Then came the Mestalla, the earthquake and the mobilization of all levels against racism in football, but from grassroots and amateur football they are not sure that it will be definitive.. “This is not changed by a single person, the law has to stand firm. The important thing is that people learn”, explains Mamadou Basirou, a former referee from Zaragoza who obtained a historic sentence against two individuals who insulted him in a juvenile game in Aragon.

There were nine months in prison and a fine of 500 euros and another four months in prison for two parents who called Mamadou “black, black, fucking black, I shit on your race” and also “go to the desert, that's where you have to be , we are going to give you a beating so that you will not see the bruises because you are a black shit”. The first were sentenced for the crime of injuring the dignity of people for racist reasons and the second for resisting authority. However, they were acquitted of the accusation for crimes of threats and incitement to hatred.

Mamadou charged between 13 and 20 euros for refereeing a match that, on top of that, did not correspond to him because he had come as a substitute. “If the Civil Guard does not arrive, they give me hosts, that is the hardest thing. If we won at least millions, but we don't win anything, we lose time for shit,” Mamadou tells EL MUNDO. After that episode, of course, he left arbitration. “The referees in grassroots or amateur competitions assume everything and that is a lot. They are very lonely,” says Esteban Ibarra.

In Spain there are 1,380,000 soccer federation licenses. Of these, barely 500 belong to professional footballers who rub shoulders with Vinicius every Sunday. The average salary of the Real Madrid squad, for example, is 10 million euros per year. “It can affect billionaires, it doesn't help me at all because it can get messy if you face them. And it's worse because it can end violently,” explains Luis Meseguer, right-back for the Unión Adarve Sports Group (Madrid).

Luis Meseguer in the Unión Adarve field.

Luis Meseguer, 'Mese', was born in Spain to a Guinean father and a Spanish mother. In his case, in youth, it was a rival who starred in his first contact with racism. “He was calling me black throughout the game, although at the end he apologized and gave me the typical phrase: 'I have many black friends,'” he recalls.

On another occasion, he and a black teammate were given monkey noises every time one of them touched the ball.. “We didn't say anything because we have the normalized insult. When it happens to me, I try to avoid it,” he says.. Although he has another curious technique when it happens, similar to the one Dani Alves used in 2014 when they threw a banana at him in a game against Villarreal and he began to eat it before taking a corner.

“We were playing against Guadalajara and people began to tell me about everything, then I started to laugh and in the end they ended up laughing too and stopped,” reveals the player. Mese is aware that not everyone is capable of reacting as he does not only to racist insults but to any affront in general and he is confident that Vinicius will help to “eliminate not only racist insults, but all”. It goes in line with the reflection made by the FC Barcelona coach, Xavi Hernández, shortly after the incidents at Mestalla.

And it is that everyone is clear about a factor that is missing in this case: “education”. “If we educate the children well and neither they nor the coach play along with the parents who insult them, they themselves will be exposed,” says the president of the Movement Against Intolerance. It is evident that children are not born racists, but are made. The question that underlies everything and that is very difficult to answer from grassroots and amateur football is obvious: Is Spain racist?

Close-up of Luis Meseguer

All the protagonists begin with a resounding no, but always end with a more or less strong adversative depending on experience.. “It is not generally so, but I have met many”, Mamadou. “I don't think Spain is racist, just that Vinicius has been personally hurt”, Mese. “I would like to say no, but there are behaviors that are”, Tafarell. “Not Spain and football, but there are behaviors in Spain and in football that do work”, Esteban Ibarra.

Now there is an opportunity to change. If it is not changed. Perhaps soccer loses wealth, loses color. “People have to learn, because otherwise, in the end, people would give up football and nobody would want to play,” concludes Mamadou.

Tafarell Buene arrived in Spain because a guy left his quadriplegic father with one blow after calling him a “black shit” and sending him “back to his country”. So, at the age of nine, he landed in Vallecas from Kinshasa with his mother and sister in a family reunification derived from that terrible racist attack.

Tafarell loved football since he was little and, thanks to a volunteer from the Movement Against Intolerance, he was admitted to the lower categories of Rayo Vallecano. “The team was incredible, I had problems with Spanish and the kids welcomed me very well,” he says in conversation with EL MUNDO. Then the problems started.

In games away from home the parents of other children shouted: “Get out of there, that black is going to kill you” or “be careful with that monkey” and he, since he did not understand Spanish very well, was not aware of the insults until that his coach told him: “Calm down, they have no education”. Was 10.

Tafarel looking at a Rayo Vallecano training field.

The insults grew with him, as did his ability to understand them.. “Black, fucking monkey, go to your fucking country”, they would let go of him, and they even spat at him when he approached the band for a ball. “They were things that hurt me, but I just wanted to play football,” says Tafarell. Shortly after, not even that could. The coaches did not summon him to protect him when the team played in hostile fields and he, of course, would come home crying inconsolably. I was 15 years old.

“I thought about giving up, I stopped going to football for a few weeks because why, if every time I went to a field the insults were increasing,” says this former footballer who had to leave the sport he loved not because of this terrible situation but because of a groin injury that was difficult for him to recover from without surgery. “Racism in football is something common in all categories,” explains Tafarell. Because?

“It's not that sport exacerbates racism, it's that impunity scenarios make it possible,” reasons Esteban Ibarra, president of the Movement Against Intolerance.. It is an impunity, that of the masses, which also seemed judicial. It must be remembered that the Madrid Prosecutor filed the complaint of racist chants against Vinicius outside the Cívitas Metropolitano for “not being able to recognize any of the people who uttered the chants, since there were a considerable number of individuals gathered there.”

Vinicius being rebuked at the Mestalla stadium. Mateo Villalba Getty

Then came the Mestalla, the earthquake and the mobilization of all levels against racism in football, but grassroots and amateur football are not sure that it will be definitive.. “This is not changed by a single person, the law has to stand firm. The important thing is that people learn”, explains Mamadou Basirou, a former referee from Zaragoza who obtained a historic sentence against two individuals who insulted him in a juvenile game in Aragon.

There were nine months in prison and a fine of 500 euros and another four months in prison for two parents who called Mamadou “black, black, fucking black, I shit on your race” and also “go to the desert, that's where you have to be , we are going to give you a beating so that you will not see the bruises because you are a black shit”. The first were sentenced for the crime of injuring the dignity of people for racist reasons and the second for resisting authority. However, they were acquitted of the accusation for crimes of threats and incitement to hatred.

Mamadou charged between 13 and 20 euros for refereeing a match that, on top of that, did not correspond to him because he had come as a substitute. “If the Civil Guard does not arrive, they give me hosts, that is the hardest thing. If we won at least millions, but we don't win anything, we lose time for shit,” Mamadou tells EL MUNDO. After that episode, of course, he left arbitration. “The referees in grassroots or amateur competitions assume everything and that is a lot. They are very lonely,” says Esteban Ibarra.

In Spain there are 1,380,000 soccer federation licenses. Of these, barely 500 belong to professional footballers who rub shoulders with Vinicius every Sunday. The average salary of the Real Madrid squad, for example, is 10 million euros per year. “It can affect billionaires, it doesn't help me at all because it can get messy if you face them. And it's worse because it can end violently,” explains Luis Meseguer, right-back for the Unión Adarve Sports Group (Madrid).

Luis Meseguer in the Unión Adarve field.

Luis Meseguer, 'Mese', was born in Spain to a Guinean father and a Spanish mother. In his case, in youth, it was a rival who starred in his first contact with racism. “He was calling me black throughout the game, although at the end he apologized and gave me the typical phrase: 'I have many black friends,'” he recalls.

On another occasion, he and a black teammate were given monkey noises every time one of them touched the ball.. “We didn't say anything because we have the normalized insult. When it happens to me, I try to avoid it,” he says.. Although he has another curious technique when it happens, similar to the one Dani Alves used in 2014 when a banana was thrown at him in a game against Villarreal and he began to eat it before taking a corner.

“We were playing against Guadalajara and people began to tell me everything, then I started to laugh and in the end they ended up laughing too and stopped,” reveals the player. Mese is aware that not everyone is capable of reacting as he does not only to racist insults but to any affront in general and he is confident that Vinicius will help “eliminate not only racist insults, but all”. It goes in line with the reflection made by the FC Barcelona coach, Xavi Hernández, shortly after the incidents at Mestalla.

And it is that everyone is clear about a factor that is missing in this case: “education”. “If we educate the children well and neither they nor the coach play along with the parents who insult them, they themselves will be exposed,” says the president of the Movement Against Intolerance. It is evident that children are not born racists, but are made. The question that underlies everything and that is very difficult to answer from grassroots and amateur football is obvious: Is Spain racist?

Close-up of Luis Meseguer

All the protagonists begin with a resounding no, but always end with a more or less strong adversative depending on experience.. “It is not generally so, but I have met many”, Mamadou. “I don't think Spain is racist, just that Vinicius has been personally hurt”, Mese. “I would like to say no, but there are behaviors that are”, Tafarell. “Not Spain and football, but there are behaviors in Spain and in football that do work”, Esteban Ibarra.

Now there is an opportunity to change. If it is not changed. Perhaps soccer loses wealth, loses color. “People have to learn, because otherwise, in the end, people would give up football and nobody would want to play,” concludes Mamadou.

The goal of Spain has a Basque accent. In the absolute, Unai Simón for penalties that give titles and in the sub'21, Julen Agirrezabala (Rentería, 2000) aims to start Santi Denia in the European Championship in Romania that begins this afternoon. Raised in Lezama, they are the present and the future of Athletic Club. The little one, Julen, sits down with EL MUNDO to remember that Mediterranean beach where he began to stop, the importance of studies and the trampoline, although he says no, of this tournament.

It will be his first experience with the national team in a major tournament. Yes, he had not been in the inferiors. It is the first time, a European that everyone wants to play. It will be a nice experience and hopefully we can win. What are your feelings for the European Championship? We have had a very good qualifying phase and I think we are a team that competes very well, with good players and if we correct some things, which is normal , there is a good block and we can do something nice in the European. You are in the sub'21 and Unai (Simón) in the absolute. What do the Lezama goalkeepers eat? Well, I don't know, but you can see that something is being done well in Lezama. There are many goalkeepers from our school at the highest level, Kepa, Remiro, Aitor Fernández are there…. There is a job behind it that is being done wonderfully. In that sense, being beautiful for the Athletic youth academy, do you feel that the door to ownership of the first team is a bit closed? My dream remains the same, which is to play for Athletic. I have a contract with Athletic until 2025 and the club has trusted me at all times. Yes, it is true that in the first part of the season I did not enjoy many minutes, but I feel the confidence of the coach and the club and I have ended up playing 15 games. The way I started the year is not bad. How did it take that everything happened so fast? With 18 a record for Athletic and with 22 he is in the First Division and in the national team. I think I have handled it very well, it is true that the jump has been great and fast. I was given the opportunity to debut in First Division and I am very happy and grateful. I am lucky that my family has always made me see that whatever happens you have to keep your feet on the ground, that you have to be humble and work. Being part of an important team like Athletic, do you feel a bit like a leader? of the team's locker room? What's up! (laughs). I don't feel like a leader anywhere. I try to do my bit like all of us here, and I'm sure that together, with effort and support, we'll be able to do something beautiful. When you were little, you didn't really like football, right? I remember that in the playground school, at recess or after class, I watched my friends play and although I tried it from time to time, it is true that I did not like it very much. Until one summer with the family, on a beach in Peñíscola with my cousin, he started kicking balls and I started stopping them.. That's how my story began. And what did he like to do? Buah…. (Think). As a child I was a lot to draw, especially animals. I was pretty good at it and I enjoyed it, huh. All the animals I saw in documentaries, tigers, lions, wolves… I tried to draw them. I've always liked seeing animals in the wild and I drew them on paper. Now when I'm older too? No, no. Not anymore (laughs). What about sports other than football? I used to play a lot of tennis, but nothing too formal. I would go with my friends or with my father. It is still a sport that I really like and when I have some free time I play. Also basketball. Was he one of the tallest? No, no. Give the stretch later. In cadets I signed for Antiguoko and when I arrived I was quite small. Then in my first year as a youth, at 17, I hit the growth spurt. Before signing for Athletic, was it clear that I wanted to be a professional? I never had the goal of being a professional. I got into football to enjoy myself, always learning from the coaches and once the years go by and you see that you are at the level, you see it closer, but the step is very difficult. When you get to the first team you do see yourself, it's a huge joy. Did you have any plan B in case you didn't make it? Any illusions beyond football? I return to my parents, they have always instilled in me the importance of studies. I have been a good student, both in school and in high school. Then I decided to enter a Mechanical Engineering, which I was able to combine well for two years, but once I started training with the first team, it was difficult for me to go to class and it was difficult for me. I have quit, but I am clear that I do not want to stop studying and I go year after year looking for things. This last year I have been doing an Administration and Finance course, I have taken it well but it has also cost me because of the football calendar. What do your friends from Donosti tell you when they see you play for Athletic? Well, there is everything (laughs).. There are some who are very Real and understand my situation wonderfully and I have their unconditional support. They are very happy that a friend has reached where he has come.. Was it difficult to make the decision to sign for Athletic? To tell you the truth, not much. They made it very clear to me what they wanted, the project they had for me and what they trusted. They set the guidelines for me and the path that I was going to take in my career. And I'm happy. Which goalkeeper do you pay attention to? I don't have a clear reference point, but I usually watch a lot of football and I try to pay attention to all the goalkeepers. In different aspects of each one. At 22, do you watch more football or the Kings League? Football, football (laughs). I'm more classic in that sense. The Kings is having a lot of repercussion, I usually see something, but quite little, but ever since I started on that beach I have been a great soccer fan and I try to watch as many games as possible. Are the soccer players very involved in the networks now? Are they changing rooms different from what Athletic veterans tell you? I think so, but for the simple fact of modernizing technology. Now we have things that were not there before and I believe that when used well they can be good for everyone.. I don't think we're too involved either, we know how good they can be but they also have their bad things. I have some but I don't use it much. Do you read the comments? No, not really. I have never been one to read because the first one who knows when you are doing things well or badly is yourself and in the end those who know about football and are involved in day-to-day activities are the ones who can best advise you. The outside does not depend on us. Do you feel this tournament as a springboard in your career? It is an international tournament and you compete with the best teams, but I do not give it excessive importance nor do I think it is good to put more pressure on ourselves. If everyone fulfills their role and does their bit, we have a great chance of doing something nice in the tournament. What do you do in your day to day? I really enjoy sitting down and talking with my friends on a terrace. Walking, visiting places…. Other sports, when we can… Are you already being recognized on the street? Well, I don't know (laughs), and that's a good thing. It's true that sometimes I notice stares, but people don't stop me much. And in the town? Less! (laughs). In the end my town, Errenteria, is next to Donosti and most of them are Real Madrid fans. They don't give me much of a ball… (Laughter). His father was a spokesman for Eusko Alkartasuna in the Basque Parliament. How was having politics at home? If I tell you the truth, when he was in Parliament I didn't even know about it. I did not become fond of politics. What is left to improve? Many things. I would say footwork, which is something that here in the national team is also required of us, to give continuity to the team's game. And it is a subject that in recent years has also been a step forward. Before the goalkeepers were not required so much and now there has been that change.

The goal of Spain has a Basque accent. In the absolute, Unai Simón for penalties that give titles and in the sub'21, Julen Agirrezabala (Rentería, 2000) aims to start Santi Denia in the European Championship in Romania that begins this afternoon. Raised in Lezama, they are the present and the future of Athletic Club. The little one, Julen, sits down with EL MUNDO to remember that beach in the Mediterranean where he began to stop, the importance of studies and the trampoline, although he says no, of this tournament.

It will be his first experience with the national team in a major tournament. Yes, he had not been in the inferiors. It is the first time, a European that everyone wants to play. It will be a nice experience and hopefully we can win. What are your feelings for the European Championship? We have had a very good qualifying phase and I think we are a team that competes very well, with good players and if we correct some things, which is normal , there is a good block and we can do something nice in the European. You are in the sub'21 and Unai (Simón) in the absolute. What do the Lezama goalkeepers eat? Well, I don't know, but you can see that something is being done well in Lezama. There are many goalkeepers from our school at the highest level, Kepa, Remiro, Aitor Fernández are there…. There is a job behind it that is being done wonderfully. In that sense, being beautiful for the Athletic youth academy, do you feel that the door to ownership of the first team is a bit closed? My dream remains the same, which is to play for Athletic. I have a contract with Athletic until 2025 and the club has trusted me at all times. Yes, it is true that in the first part of the season I did not enjoy many minutes, but I feel the confidence of the coach and the club and I have ended up playing 15 games. The way I started the year is not bad. How did it take that everything happened so fast? With 18 a record for Athletic and with 22 he is in the First Division and in the national team. I think I have handled it very well, it is true that the jump has been great and fast. I was given the opportunity to debut in First Division and I am very happy and grateful. I am lucky that my family has always made me see that whatever happens you have to keep your feet on the ground, that you have to be humble and work. Being part of an important team like Athletic, do you feel a bit like a leader? of the dressing room of the selection? What's up! (laughs). I don't feel like a leader anywhere. I try to do my bit like all of us here, and I'm sure that together, with effort and support, we'll be able to do something beautiful. When you were little, you didn't really like football, right? I remember that in the playground school, at recess or after class, I watched my friends play and although I tried it from time to time, it is true that I did not like it very much. Until one summer with the family, on a beach in Peñíscola with my cousin, he started kicking balls and I started stopping them.. That's how my story began. And what did he like to do? Buah…. (Think). As a child I was a lot to draw, especially animals. I was pretty good at it and I enjoyed it, huh. All the animals I saw in documentaries, tigers, lions, wolves… I tried to draw them. I've always liked to see animals in the wild and I drew them on paper. Now when I'm older too? No, no. Not anymore (laughs). What about sports other than football? I used to play a lot of tennis, but nothing too formal. I would go with my friends or with my father. It is still a sport that I really like and when I have some free time I play. Also basketball. Was he one of the tallest? No, no. Give the stretch later. In cadets I signed for Antiguoko and when I arrived I was quite small. Then in my first year as a youth, at 17, I hit the growth spurt. Before signing for Athletic, was it clear that I wanted to be a professional? I never had the goal of being a professional. I got into football to enjoy myself, always learning from the coaches and once the years go by and you see that you are at the level, you see it closer, but the step is very difficult. When you get to the first team you do see yourself, it's a huge joy. Did you have any plan B in case you didn't make it? Any illusions beyond football? I return to my parents, they have always instilled in me the importance of studies. I have been a good student, both in school and in high school. Then I decided to enter a Mechanical Engineering, which I was able to combine well for two years, but once I started training with the first team, it was difficult for me to go to class and it was difficult for me. I have quit, but I am clear that I do not want to stop studying and I go year after year looking for things. This last year I have been doing an Administration and Finance course, I have taken it well but it has also cost me because of the football calendar. What do your friends from Donosti tell you when they see you play for Athletic? Well, there is everything (laughs).. There are some who are very Real and understand my situation wonderfully and I have their unconditional support. They are very happy that a friend has reached where he has come.. Was it difficult to make the decision to sign for Athletic? To tell you the truth, not much. They made it very clear to me what they wanted, the project they had for me and what they trusted. They set the guidelines for me and the path that I was going to take in my career. And I'm happy. Which goalkeeper do you pay attention to? I don't have a clear reference point, but I usually watch a lot of football and I try to pay attention to all the goalkeepers. In different aspects of each one. At 22, do you watch more football or the Kings League? Football, football (laughs). I'm more classic in that sense. The Kings is having a lot of repercussion, I usually see something, but quite little, but ever since I started on that beach I've been a great soccer fan and I try to watch as many games as possible. Are the soccer players very involved in the networks now? Are they different changing rooms from what Athletic veterans tell you? I think so, but for the simple fact of modernizing technology. Now we have things that were not there before and I believe that when used well they can be good for everyone.. I don't think we're too involved either, we know how good they can be but they also have their bad things. I have some but I don't use it much. Do you read the comments? No, not really. I have never been one to read because the first one who knows when you are doing things well or badly is yourself and in the end, those who know about football and are in the day to day are the ones who can best advise you. The outside does not depend on us. Do you feel this tournament as a springboard in your career? It is an international tournament and you compete with the best teams, but I do not give it excessive importance nor do I think it is good to put more pressure on ourselves. If everyone fulfills their role and does their bit, we have a great chance of doing something nice in the tournament. What do you do in your day to day? I really enjoy sitting down and talking with my friends on a terrace. Walking, visiting places…. Other sports, when we can… Are you already being recognized on the street? Well, I don't know (laughs), and that's a good thing. It's true that sometimes I notice stares, but people don't stop me much. And in the town? Less! (laughs). In the end my town, Errenteria, is next to Donosti and most of them are Real Madrid fans. They don't give me much of a ball… (Laughter). His father was a spokesman for Eusko Alkartasuna in the Basque Parliament. How was having politics at home? If I tell you the truth, when he was in Parliament I didn't even know about it. I did not become fond of politics. What is left to improve? Many things. I would say footwork, which is something that is also required of us here in the national team, to give continuity to the team's game. And it is a subject that in recent years has also been a step forward. Before the goalkeepers were not required so much and now there has been that change.