“Ikusi Mendizaleak is no longer mine, now it belongs to the people”

This Saturday at San Mamés, Athletic Club will pay tribute to Sabin López de Guereño, writer of the popular Basque anthem "Ikusi Mendizaleak" (Look at the Mountaineers).

The song will be played out at The Cathedral just before the start of our LaLiga match against Real Sociedad (16:15 CEST).

López de Guereño, who will be joined by his family, will sing the first few verses from The Cathedral's pitch with the thousands of fans in attendance as his backing singers.

Ahead of the tribute, Athletic Club visited Sabin at his home in Deusto, where he lives with his wife Argiñe Zarraga. Sabin explained that he composed the lyrics and melody of 'Ikusi Mendizaleak' in 1966, in the midst of the dictatorship, and that he never expected it to become so popular. In fact, after publishing it, he had to fight to be recognised as the sole writer of the song.

In 1968, siblings Andoni and Irune Argoitia were the first to include it on an LP and the song topped what was then called the 'Euskal Hit Parade', a chart of the most popular Basque songs at the time. To his astonishment, López de Guereño heard it for the first time in public during an Aberri Eguna (Day of the Homeland) celebration, an event which at that point was still illegal under Franco's regime.

Subsequently, as the song became increasingly popular at town festivals, other musicians also added it to their repertoire. Groups such as Alaiak, Imuntzo eta Beloki, Leihotikan and Oskorri, as well as the Parisian singer Melanie Doutey, have produced their own versions.

The tune has also become a staple at San Mamés and Athletic Club celebrations. An example of this took place in the 1997/98 season, when the side finished second in the league during our centenary year. During the festivities, several players, backed by thousands of fans, began to sing 'Ikusi Mendizaleak'. To this day, it remains one of the Red and White Wall's favourite songs.

It is a song that has become a symbol of Basque culture, one of the most beloved in the land, which is the reason why Athletic Club wants to pay tribute to its composer more than five decades later.

Sabin is also a massive Athletic fan, having been friends with former lions such as Lander Iraragorri and the late José Mari Orue. Two days away from the tribute at San Mamés, López de Guereño admits to being touched and excited about his visit to The Cathedral.