Athletic and Celtic: "It's much more than football, it's part of our identity"
Athletic and Celtic: "It's much more than football, it's part of our identity"
We met up with the founders of Bilbao Bhoys CSC, Celtic's Bilbao-based supporters club
Every weekend, a large group of Celtic FC supporters gather in Bilbao's Plaza Nueva to watch the Hoops' matches together.
Fiona and Tony, founders of Bilbao Bhoys CSC, Celtic's official fan club in the city, told Athletic Club what it meant to see team of their heart play against the team of the city that has taken them in.
It is a connection that goes beyond football, something both emphasised when talking about what unites Glasgow, Bilbao and the two clubs in question.
For Tony and Fiona, James Forrest's testimonial at Parkhead is another step in the friendship between the two clubs, which began with the 2011 friendly at the old San Mames and continued in 2019 when Athletic Club presented our One-Club Man Award to Billy McNeill, the captain of those 'Lisbon Lions' who won the 1967 European Cup.
On that occasion, Athletic legend Jose Angel Iribar travelled to Glasgow to show his respect to the legendary McNeill and the entire Celtic FC family.
With the upcoming friendly at Paradise, Bilbao Bhoys are hoping to strengthen the ties between two clubs that mean so much to their lives and, in their words, represent "much more than football".
The match will also serve as a tribute to James Forrest. The winger, a Scotland international and one of Scottish side's most beloved players, is about to celebrate 15 seasons with Celtic FC's first team.
Forrest has turned down offers from powerful clubs in the English Premier League while remaining loyal to the team he loves -a career that has many parallels with Lions such as Iker Muniain and Óscar De Marcos.