“Valverde is a reference for us”

Are you still in Burgos?

Yes, one more season. We have signed for two years, until June 2025. We will face the new season like the first: with enthusiasm and the desire to continue growing with Burgos.

Is category maintenance not enough?

When we arrived in Burgos everyone was talking about getting the famous 50 points that give you permanency. I didn’t talk about that because I don’t like setting goals for myself for the end of the season. I want to work, prepare the team in the best possible way to reach the first game strong and face it to win and so on. Work and daily life show you which side of the table you’ll be in and as the games go by, you’ll see where you’re going and the goals you can achieve.

So?

I will never talk about permanence, or play offs, or promotions because this category is also too complicated.

Isn’t ninth place worth it to Burgos fans?

When I arrived there was talk about those 50 points, of the permanence, of the continued lifestyle of professional football; But as the days and months passed, the team positioned itself in an ambitious place. A new ownership has also arrived that also wants to use a more aggressive approach and fight for a very high level. We follow ourselves and I will always respect what people say. This season has been great and it’s normal for people to be excited. We are all ambitious and this League is very complex.

Has it been a good year for you?

Good year in sports and personally. I love the city, very welcoming, quiet. I am happy.

And they only lost one game at home.

Against Eldense, the penultimate at home and after the previous one at home, Amorebieta tied us at two after going 2-0 before the stoppage due to ice. Better forget those meetings.

Burgos, however, made El Plantío a real fortress.

Beyond this year’s results, the good atmosphere at El Plantío dates back to previous years. Since the promotion, an important chemistry has developed. This is the field with the highest occupancy of the season with 88% of the seats occupied, making it a Bombonera.

Do the people of Burgos remember Joseba Agirre, Luis Fernando, Ayucar, Elduayen, Loren, Del Val…?

so many. Many people have told me about them and tell me anecdotes of when they were in the First Division. There are also players from here (Basques) in the mud.

Aitor Córdoba, by the way, has renewed in Burgos.

He is our best center back and we are delighted that he has chosen to continue with Burgos. This is his fifth season, he is one of the captains, a great professional and a great person.

Well, heard it for Athletic.

He had a great season and it was heard that he was an option for Athletic, but in the end he decided to continue with us. It fills us up.

You never dreamed of Athletic!

I live every day (laughing). Some time ago I had some contact with one of the candidates to be presented, but it did not go beyond that. I gave my word to Oviedo before. I live every day. The better I do things, the more chances I have to get valuable banks.

How would you rate Athletic’s season?

Amazing. Not just for the Cup, for being champions again, which is incredible, but for their consistency in the League. He played attractive, vertical football, with many arrivals, with goals. The future of Athletic, with players established in the first team, is something to be excited about. It’s hard to repeat times like this, but I think they’re ready for it.

Where did you experience the Cup final?

At Villarreal. The whole squad saw it together. Laughing because there were some Basques and people hesitated a bit because we were so nervous, but it was a happy ending and everyone was happy.

And did you go to see the Barge?

We can’t because I have to train too. I followed him through the videos the family sent me and through the ETB live show, which was great.

Do you think Valverde is, as they say now, a ‘top coach’?

Coach more than the top. Just looking at his numbers and his career… It is a spectacle to see everything he has achieved in all the teams where he has been. A top coach and a reference for all of us.

Many people do not know that they are colleagues.

I spent some time with him and Kuko (Ziganda) at Athletic. It was my first year, with Stepi, and I was with them in the first team.

Were you, as a center forward, surprised by Guruzeta’s outburst?

No, because it was clear that at some point he was going to break the door down completely. This year he had a great season. He is surrounded by players like Williams, Sancet, Berenguer and Unai, among others, who also improve him.

Do you have to deal with him as a rival?

He scored a header against Amorebieta in Ponferrada, I think.

In the Athletic locker room they call him Guru Benzema.

The thing is he’s one of the forwards that people like right now. Less reference, with more mobility and combining all that. Guru is the typical striker that every coach wants today.

Burgos also has a player who has scored many goals.

Curro (Sánchez), but more than a striker he is a forward, winger, center half. With the skill and hunger he has, Curro can play any position he wants. He scored 15 goals for us with five or six assists. He is a goal killer. It will be difficult to hide him.