In memory of McNeill and San Mamés’ old arch

The match against Celta will also have an emotional component on a day of farewells in the last game of this season at home. Athletic Club will close the delivery of the One Club Man to the recently deceased Billy McNeill. The historic Celtic player will be represented in San Mamés in the figure of his daughter Susan Chalmers and John Clark, who was his defensive partner in Glasgow during 13 seasons. The two will receive in the half-time along with Jose Angel Iribar and Aner Rodriguez, our youngest player from Lezama, the remembrance and affection with which the Club already accompanied the figure of McNeill weeks ago in the Scottish city.

In 1953, Athletic Club decided to face what was going to become one of the most iconic works in its history. La Basconia was the company in charge of assembling the new arch that, in a unique way for that time, was going to be in charge of sustaining the enormous cantilever of the new Main Tribune. Francisco Izaola was one of the welders who worked on that assembly in which the two halves of the arch were raised until they were joined and which was especially complicated by the harsh winter that was lived that year in Bilbao. The mythical arch rests today in Lezama and Francisco, one of the guests at the match against Celta, is one of the few living people who took part in that architectural milestone designed by De Miguel, Magdalena and Domínguez Salazar together with the engineer Fernández Casado.

And our peñas will not be missing in the box of San Mamés. with a representation of Somos Diferentes, plus the Peñas Catedral de Ribaforada, Arnedana, El Corquete Rojiblanco, Al Límite, Bosko, Zuri Gorri Aitor Ocio Santurtzi, All Iron Uztarri and Adiskideak Dayton Taberna.