La Liga
Proud ‘Rooster’ Etxeberria will play for free
Athletic Bilbao winger Joseba Etxeberria has delighted the footballing world by agreeing to play his fifteenth year at the club for free, as Jonathan O'Shea reveals.
Before Barça’s spectacular 6-1 dismantling of supposed title rivals Atletico Madrid hit the back pages, it was an extraordinary gesture by veteran Athletic Bilbao winger Joseba Etxeberria which had hogged the week’s football headlines in Spain.
By signing up to a year-long contract extension, for which he will be remunerated with precisely nothing, El Gallo (‘the Rooster’ – due to his long neck) shocked and delighted football fans wearied by tales of the greedy modern pro. Etxeberria, it emerged, will not receive one single euro for his services during the 2009/10 season; the final one of a long, often illustrious career.
“My dream was to play for 15 years with Athletic, which is a lifetime,” said the 31-year-old earlier this week. He continued: “In my last year as a professional I will play without pay.”
“This is a thank-you to the behaviour of the club towards me and the love I have received from so many people.”
Keen to ensure his contract wouldn’t undermine the worth of his fellow pros, he added: “I do not intend to establish a precedent. This is a professional world and everyone is entitled to defend their rights and contracts.”
By taking this extraordinary step, Etxeberria hopes to prolong his career to reach the landmark of 500 senior club appearances before he retires. It is most likely not, as Athletic president Fernando Garcia Macau claims, a “football first” – and Etxeberria is hardly a Primera División pauper now is he? – still, it’s a gesture which throws the likes of Ashley Cole’s infamous strop about Arsenal’s ‘failure’ to offer him an extra five grand-a-week into an even harsher light than before.
“From the club’s standpoint there are not words to thank such a gesture,” Garcia Macau said of the deal. From the cynic’s standpoint, it’s not all that surprising that a club chairman would be so enamoured by the offer of free labour. They would also question just why, if he is still so valued, was the player not offered a full contract by the club?
But that is to underestimate the true worth of ‘Etxe’ to the proud Basque side, who have remained stoutly entrenched in the Spanish top flight since its inception in 1928 – this despite their restrictive Basques-only policy.
Admittedly his star is now fading, but as captain of Athletic, Etxeberria joins the likes of Carles Puyol and Francesco Totti as symbolic standard bearers for both their club and their region. Such players define the character and nature of their people and will be fondly remembered as loyal heroes when they finally hang up their boots.
As with all fairy tales though, there is a twist. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this rare modern day story of nobility and loyalty is somewhat confused by the controversial nature of Etxeberria’s arrival at San Mamés back in 1995.
Athletic splashed out a record €3m+ fee on acquiring the 17-year-old from the cantera (youth set-up) of local rivals Real Sociedad, against their will. As a result, Etxeberria was ordered to pay compensation to La Real for breaking his contract and bad feeling resulted between the neighbouring clubs. The move was seen as a unforgivable betrayal by bitter fans in San Sebastián.
The Bilbao club’s unique principles inevitably mean that they must dip into the talent pool of their Basque rivals (Sociedad, Osasuna, Alavés) from time-to-time, which understandably creates resentment. Yet, it would be unfair to let that storm-in-a-teacup colour the actions, earlier this week, of the boy from Elgoibar.
The industrious culture and proud heritage of the Euskadi club has always stood as a template of football club as community. Athletic are a unique club; one admired and revered worldwide for their focus on local pride over greed and glory. The remarkable gesture of one Joseba Andoni Etxeberria Lizardi only serves to enhance that reputation.
Tags: Athletic Bilbao, Basque, Carles Puyol, Francesco Totti, Joseba Etxeberria, La Liga, Real Sociedad
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It’s great to see such loyalty and there will always be these players who are more than content to remain at a single club, although clearly they are a dying breed!
Dying breed indeed. Scholes, G Neville, Giggs, Maldini are all one-club wonders, loyal servants and standard bearers of their club. Forgive me for my apparent ignorance of life outside English football, but can someone name and honor other similar players for my benefit?