“I came from almost nowhere and in the blink of an eye I’m here”

Hello Ares This is the name of the day in Athletic. The Bilbao winger has renewed his contract as a lion for three more seasons, until 2027. After offering the first assessment to the club’s official media, the player appeared in the Lezama press room supported by his representative, Felix Taintaand the director of football, Mikel Gonzalez. “I’m very happy. The evaluation is positive. I’m very happy that the club trusts me with this renewal and offers me that trust. I just have to give back everything on the field, that’s what I know how to do,” he stated.

The player did not want to confirm the value of his termination clause, which Athletic has not made public. This is also what happened in the cases of Sancet, First Gómez and Nico Williams: “That’s something that doesn’t worry me. I don’t ask about it either, it’s a matter of my agent at the club.”

The forward arrived at the Lezama quarry in the 2021-22 season to join Basconia. In the same season he joined Bilbao Athletic and last year he made his debut with the first team Valverde. Everything is very fast. “This is not normal. I came to speak from nowhere and in an instant I was here. In the end this is also a message for the children who came from the bottom, with effort everything can be achieved if you really set your mind to it,” he stated.

The footballer didn’t even expect to be in the situation he’s in now after just three years at the club: “I didn’t think I’d be here. If you asked me three years ago, neither, but in the end there were obstacles that will be destroyed. We are here and happy for it.”

His excellent performance with Bilbao Athletic in the second half of the 2021-22 season had a lot to do with his promotion to the first team. It comes with Gere and Luis Bilbao one of the key players in the permanence in the First Federation achieved by the reserve team then led by Patxi Salinas. How important was that period to your later development? “Many, I think it was very important. The reason why I am here is also thanks to Patxi. He gave me the confidence to contribute to Bilbao Athletic because he knew me from Basconia. It is very important that I am here today,” he acknowledged.

At the moment he was not enjoying many minutes. He has only played two games in the League, both from the bench, and he has started both Cup games, against Rubí and Cayón. At first, he was the best, scoring two winning goals that gave him a ticket to the next round. “It’s normal, I understand. There is a lot of competition in that position and all that is left for me is to prepare when the coach needs me and show him that I can do it,” he stated.

In these cases, the Ibaigane club usually chooses a loan. Hello Ares It is not contemplated, at least not now. “It’s not something I’ve discussed with the club, I’m focused on contributing more to the team and what they need me to do. Be ready when they need me,” he said.

The winger has plenty of competition on both sides of the attack with the brothers Williams and Berenguer: “They are high-level players, I also appreciated it because it makes me demand more of myself and I learn a lot every day. They just make me better.”

The attacker could not be part of the squad that visited Granada due to a bruise on his right knee that he suffered in the cup match against Cayón. “I improved, now I finished the entire training session. I still have a small pocket of fluid, but it is slowly disappearing. I hope to be there this weekend,” he confirmed.