“I will reassess whether I will continue with Athletic or not”

For now, no one disputes his ownership of Athletic’s right side. At 35 years old and in his sixteenth consecutive season as a lion, De Marcos is not the only captain. The Alava footballer spoke yesterday about the past, present and future in an interview with Onda Cero Bilbao.

“I feel good. I know myself well, I know when I’m good at games. I don’t know if I am the starter or not because we are good enough to play in that position and the important thing is when I or someone else plays we are always in the best state. That makes for good competition and I like that. “That’s what keeps me as efficient as possible,” he said in the beginning.

It is too early to draw definite conclusions in this regard, but the question has been recurring for some time now. While waiting to see throughout the season if he is in a position to continue as a lion for another year and if the club and the coach deem it necessary to renew him for another year, De Marcos has a very clear thing.

“Once I made the decision to continue (for the current season) I consider it the right decision whether it will be good this year or not. When I take it is because I collect everything that happened last season, I appreciate everything and I choose to continue another season believing that I can help,” he added.

The Athletic captain completed this reflection by saying that “now I’m proving to myself that I’m good enough to help. It’s been a long year and we’ll have to see, but I feel good.”

And from the past and present to the future. The question from the journalist of Onda Cero Bilbao is under its own weight: “And next year?”

The response of the red-and-white defender was logical: “I have to check it again. Yes, it’s true that it happened to me in the last years that I believed it could be the last year and as time goes on things happen and in the end I will make another decision. I see myself getting closer to the end, but we are in October and this is not the time to review it because I have already had some experiences that have changed throughout the season.

Not everything was a bed of roses for De Marcos. A few years ago an ankle gave him a lot of trouble and everything pointed to the end of his cycle.

Spirit of improvement

“I had two seasons where I wasn’t good. I spent a year without surgery that led to the operation and then I had another year to recover again and they were patient, endured. I myself had doubts if I could perform at a good level and since Marcelino arrived I started to get better. He gave me confidence, they took care of me, and with Ernesto I continued on that wheel. I feel good, I enjoy the field and that also helps me to be here today,” he explained.

Regarding his role as captain, De Marcos believes that a generational change is certain. “That always happens at Athletic. For us Muni and Raúl are important, as well as Dani García, like Iraola, Susaeta, Gurpegi, Orbaiz before; but someone else is taking the baton. Iñaki. Lekue, Simón…New generations are coming and taking up the role and it will continue no matter who is here.”