‘Athletic one of the greats’

Athletic Bilbao President Jose Urrutia revelled in the club’s Supercopa de Espana win, calling it ‘utopia made into reality.’

The Basques saw off Barcelona with a 4-0 win at San Mames and a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou to confirm a first trophy since 1984.

“Athletic is one of the great clubs and I’m happy for everyone,” Urrutia said, AS reports.

“Now we have to digest the memories, emotions and also the bad times. It’s a utopia made into reality because everything points another way, but there are intangibles in football.

“It’s a line that we’re taking over a long time and hopefully we can continue doing it. There will be hard times but for that we are doubly proud. We’re practically competing against the world with kids.

“Things are going very fast and [on Thursday] we have to play the Europa League. We have to try to combine everything. We attach importance to the Europa League and not everything is possible.

“It might not be a problem [celebrating the Supercopa]. We’ve won a trophy after 31 years and it’s necessary we enjoy it.

“We have done great things and we’re among the best on an on-going basis. We know that whoever wants to be here is here, and whoever doesn’t, isn’t.

“The important thing is the club. We were able to win at Barca because we’re a great team, not because we’re out for revenge against anyone.

“It wasn’t easy to foresee this performance but we are a great team, a great group of players, and in the end that’s football.

“The main character is Athletic. Aritz Aduriz has a lot to contribute but we can’t single out anyone.”

Tags Josu Urrutia Supercopa de Espana
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