Bilbao was covered in red and white on a Thursday celebrating the Copa del Rey title that Athletic won last Saturday and the players enjoyed an unforgettable day aboard the emblematic boat known as ‘Gabarra’.
This small traditional vessel is part of the club’s history and the parade along the Nervión River, which runs through the Basque city, had not been held for forty years. It took four decades to win a major title, something the ‘Leones’ finally achieved on Saturday by beating Mallorca in a penalty shootout.
It was the 24th Copa del Rey in Athletic’s history, a number that is only surpassed by Barcelona, which has 31 trophies from this competition in its gallery.
The ‘Gabarra’ route was thirteen kilometers long, from the neighboring city of Getxo to Bilbao City Hall. On the way, the crowds gathered on the banks of the river, in a city decorated with the club’s colors and which since Saturday has been experiencing an explosion of collective joy.
In memory of past generations, the Copa del Rey champions threw white and red rose petals into the waters of the river.
“There were many tears shed, many finals lost, but now we are here. This is ours, this is yours, the whole Athletic family,” said captain Iker Muniain from the City Hall balcony, showing the trophy to the fans.
“Thank you for making this day incredible. We are the best at celebrating. We will try to be better than we are. We will always fight for everything”, promised coach Ernesto Valverde.
The players enjoyed the unforgettable day amidst a lot of emotion and euphoria after the historic achievement.
“I still have to pinch myself when I see this. We are crazy, we are crazy, we did it! We are super proud. For those who are there and for those who are not there. For what we conveyed during this World Cup and for the emotions. This fan and the people deserve it. We enjoyed it a lot and today is a day to enjoy it more”, declared Iñaki Williams on Basque regional television, ETB.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
