Three quarters of a century with Athletic, a life in red-and-white

Perhaps no one is more deserving of occupying the main box of San Mamés as the members who celebrate their 75th anniversary as members of the entity. Athletic Club paid tribute to them in the minutes before the match against SD Eibar and invited them to occupy the honorary seats they deserve after a lifetime feeling the red-and-white colours.

In a simple but exciting act, the recognition in this case went to Luis María Barrenetxea, Juan Antonio Bengoetxea, Julio Elorza, Carlos Fernández, María Teresa Gorostiaga, Juan Hormaeche (his son picked up the paque in his name), Jesús Iglesias, Santiago López de Lerena, José Antonio López, Fernando Malo, Fernando Marín, Manuel Mendizabal, Fernando Luis Monge, Francisco Javier Otalora, César Prieto and Alejandro Zalbide.

A woman and fifteen men who were able to attend the stadium in such a special day with an Athletic victory and who received their honours from the hands of the president Aitor Elizegi. A wide representation of the Board of Directors and the presence of former players like Jose Angel Iribar, Jose Maria Argoitia and Carlosp Gurpegi accompanied an act that once again made clear that, among the numerous list of official tasks that the Athletic Club has to attend throughout the year, very few surpass the emotiveness that this distils.

Stories of the Athletic in black-and-white that, for our followers began around the season 1943-44, gave colour to the main box in San Mamés. To endorse it, José Díaz was also there. He is the oldest member of the Club with 104-years-old and almost 80 years as a member of Athletic Club.

The group photo with all of them, the presence of their families and companions, of generations that, one after the other, have kept alive the zurigorri bond: what we were, what we are and what we will continue being. Izan garelako oraindik ere bagara eta beti izango gara.