Saturday night was a joyous occasion for Real Sociedad and the vociferous Txuri-Urdin support, as they thumped rivals Athletic Club 3-0 in the Basque derby. Undoubtedly the most famous image to come out of the game was of an Athletic fan though.
Jon Azanza was tracked down after images of him stuck in the middle while Real fans around him did the Poznan went viral. In spite of his surroundings, Azanza was relatively sanguine about matters.
“A colleague of mine is a Real fan and season ticket holder, but he couldn’t go to the game. He told me that, if I was up for it, he would let me have my membership card so I could enjoy the experience. I had never been to Anoeta and I wanted to experience it. That’s how things came about,” he told Relevo.
Credit to this guy, still smiling in a sea of Txuri-Urdin with his side 3-0 down. pic.twitter.com/qdmVald4u8
— Matthew Clark (@MattClark_08) September 30, 2023
As it happens, he does also have links to the Athletic team too, playing in the brass band where striker Asier Villalibre plays the trumpet. The Basque derby has a reputation for being loud and hard-fought, but as a general rule, good-spirited. Often there are scenes of fans mixed in with each other, as was the case with Azanza.
“That’s what makes us different. Some people from Bilbao that I met in the surrounding areas told me ‘Aupa Athletic’, those from Real encouraged me too. There was nothing strange nor did I feel insecure, on the contrary. I was very comfortable with the people, very comfortable and trying to support.”
R E S P E C T. ⭐
🫶 El amor por los colores,
¡la deportividad del Derbi Vasco! #LALIGAEASPORTS #RealSociedadAthletic pic.twitter.com/Adm5g4QbpS— LALIGA (@LaLiga) September 30, 2023
Many football fans will perhaps struggle to understand how he could remain so positive in such desperate circumstances for his team.
“I’m just going to enjoy football, which is a spectacle. I’m not going to leave there bitter. There are other things to make us bitter and football is not one of them. It’s passion, I’m not going to be sad. The great atmosphere of Anoeta transmitted that happiness. The joy that the opponent felt was instilled in you despite losing.”
Naturally, as his face spread around the internet, plenty of friends, family and beyond were in touch.
“On Sunday they sent me several links and I split my arse in two laughing, for want of a better phrase. In one they compared me to the hero of Gotham, as if I were Batman. I found it very funny.”
