Argoitia: “Koldo has been a tremendous defender of Athletic”

Jose Mari Argoitia has been the inseparable mate of Koldo Aguirre for more than 60 years living Athletic. He brings back memories of his experiences together.

“I knew Koldo when he went with Athletic through Basauri to celebrate the Cup title of 58, after beating Real Madrid. I went to greet them, I was playing in Basconia and soon, two years later, we got together in the first team. We had everything in common: the family and Athletic.

“He was a fantastic player, very attacking, technically very good. He had his mind set. And as a coach you know the game that Athletic played, they deserved to win that UEFA final against Juventus. “But Koldo has been much more, a total Athletic, he gave himself with the peñas, we have a thousand memories and unforgettable stories. He’s been a tremendous defender of the Club.

Jose Angel Iribar was still somewhat blocked by the irreparable loss of the mythical Koldo Aguirre: “He was a close friend, he was a teammate for nine years as a player, then coach and everything else …”.

“He was the most technical football player of that Athletic. What is called today a jugón (player). He enjoyed the ball a lot, all he did was ask for it. He was very fond of the game and the ball. I’m not surprised that he gave up in the Cup final against Real Madrid when he was 18 years old, he was daring and always transferred that when he spoke. In conversations, I always got something out of him.

He was the captain of that Athletic who wandered his great football throughout Europe in the 1976-77 campaign: “I can say that that year was the one I enjoyed the most of the 18 I played for Athletic. The players had a great time and so did the fans. We had fantastic automatisms, a lot of goals. It was a lot of fun. We had very good players, but we had to place them. Churruca came as an extreme and placed him as an interior forming a great pair with Txetxu Rojo, was a tandem, incredible. He brought out the best in each of us.

“It must be a very sad day for the peñas, they love him very much. He was humble and close, an incredible Athleticzale, he has always been there. The work he has done as ambassador of the Peñas with Jose Mari Argoitia has been incredible.