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Iker Muniain is leaving the Athletic Club at the end of the season after 19 years of service.
Athletic Club Bilbao captain Iker Muniain confirmed on Wednesday that he will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of June, following more than 560 first-team games.
“I came to Bilbao when I was 12 years old, when I was a boy, and now, after almost two decades, I am announcing that I am leaving at the end of the season after 15 years in the first team,” he said on the club’s social media, adding that it was a “difficult decision,” but the “best one for Athletic and me.”
Iker Muniain decides to leave Athletic de Bilbao after 15 season
The 31-year-old has made 557 first-team appearances for Athletic Club, spending 15 years in the squad after making his debut in a Europa League fixture against Young Boys (Switzerland) at the age of 16, making him the youngest player to ever play for the Basque club’s first team.
His talent, speed, and close control drew comparisons to Leo Messi in his early career, but he was hampered by two serious cruciate knee ligament injuries.
Born close to the city of Pamplona (Navarre), Muniain joined the Athletic Club youth system when he was just 12-year old and played at every level for the Spanish national side, from U-16 to the senior national team, where he made two appearances.
Muniain has won two Spanish Supercups with the team, in 2015 and 2021. His biggest moment came on April 6, when he guided Athletic to their first Copa del Rey trophy in 40 years, defeating Mallorca in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw.
The forward helped lead the epic ‘Gabarra’ celebration the following week, when over a million people saw the winning team cruise down the Nervion on a converted barge.
“I’m departing happy, with the goal of winning our 25th Cup and floating the ‘Gabarra’ 40 years after the last time. I was wonderful, and the unity among the spectators and the players demonstrated that we are genuinely unique in the world,” he remarked.
