Ruiz de Galarreta: “It's great to be back at Athletic”
Ruiz de Galarreta: “It's great to be back at Athletic”
Ruiz de Galarreta said that the upcoming match against RCD Mallorca will be "beautiful, tough and very special"
Athletic Club central midfielder Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta admitted he is delighted to be back playing for his boyhood club as Los Leones get set to face his former side RCD Mallorca at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix on Sunday (16:15 CEST).
After coming up through the ranks at Lezama, Ruiz de Galarreta made his first LaLiga appearance for Athletic in 2012/13. However, injuries and limited opportunities saw Iñigo leave for pastures new at the end of that campaign. But returning to Bilbao was never far from his thoughts.
"It was spectacular to be back on the pitch in a completely full San Mames. All my friends and family in the stands were very excited. It was a very special match that I will always remember," the midfielder said about his second debut at The Cathedral, the Lions' LaLiga opener against Real Madrid.
"Personally, I feel very enthusiastic and excited. The dressing room is just like it was 10 years ago. The lads are amibitious, hard working and want to do great things. Every year is different, but we have to work every week. At the moment, we've picked up two consecutive victories and we're optimistic about having a great season."
Our no.16 acknowledged returning to Palma de Mallorca with Athletic will be a beautiful moment for him having spent three fruitful seasons with RCD Mallorca.
He said: "It's going to be a special match for me. I'm going back to a place where I spent three spectacular years with teammates and friends I keep in touch with.
"However, it will be difficult. Mallorca need to pick up points and they've built a very well-rounded team. They've strengthened in the summer, they're solid at the back and it's hard to create chances against them. We'll have to play very well to get the three points."
The footballer praised Los Rojiblancos' recent performances against CA Osasuna and Real Betis, singling out the side's ability to deal with difficult situations.
"Our response in Pamplona was good and that gave us a lot of confidence going into the match against Real Betis at San Mames," he said.
"The start against Betis was tough, but our reaction says a lot about this group. Wins like that fill you with strength and optimism and we want to keep winning and putting points on the board."