De Marcos: "I feel lucky"

Óscar de Marcos is on the verge of making an incredible 500th appearance for Athletic Club, a feat which would see him join an elite group of just six players who have previously reached that milestone, and the right-back admitted his long career at Athletic is a source of great personal pride.

Los Leones will kick off their 2023/24 LaLiga campaign this Saturday night as they host Real Madrid at San Mames (21:30 CEST).

"I think in the world of football we are often unaware of what we're doing and we don't stop to think about it," De Marcos said at a pre-match press conference on Wednesday morning.

"500 games are a lot. Especially as when I arrived and saw who had reached that, those are people who are still idols and references for me. Now I'm close to them and that makes me feel great. I feel very lucky."

At 34 years old, the defender has just signed a new contract and is preparing for a 15th season as an Athletic player.

He said: "I wasn't sure if I was going to continue or not. I needed it to be a very clear decision. Every year it gets more difficult [to decide] because I have to find the right moment to do it.

"On an individual level, last season was surprising even for me. I felt great throughout the year and that ended up helping me make the decision.

"I always put the collective over the personal and I'll do my best to help the team as I have done so far."

Athletic get proceedings underway in Bilbao with a clash against Real Madrid, one of just three sides including Los Rojiblancos and FC Barcelona to have never been relegated from the top-flight.

De Marcos believes the Lions are in good shape after a decent pre-season and is optimistic despite knowing it will be a difficult match.

"We've got good momentum, in the last few matches we've looked good in terms of rhythm," the no.18 added. "I think we're in good form ahead of the start of the season and we have to go in with the right mentality.

"Real Madrid have also had some difficult games. Maybe they didn't get the results they expected in pre-season, but competitive matches are totally different, everything changes.

"Real Madrid are a solid team who have been winning or fighting for titles or many years.They have strengthened well, although it is true that they have also lost some important players.

"They'll be a tough opponent, but playing at San Mames is always exciting for everyone. We're looking forward to playing a good game."