“In the end, Iker is doing well. He got what he wanted: to come to this league, the Argentine league, to compete and experience an exciting challenge and real football, not the kind made of petrodollars.” Muniain, a genius and star of Athletic for the last fifteen seasons, has finally found a new destination.
His dream was to have defended the colours of River Plate, a club of which he has always been recognised as a fervent supporter and which he even went to see play live in the final of the Copa Libertadores against Boca Juniors, its eternal rival, played a few years ago at the Bernabéu. The former Lion himself was responsible for making public that trip to Madrid, how he camouflaged himself to enter the stadium with the Millonario fans and how he made the return trip at the end of the match to train hours later in Lezama.
It was not to be with River, but it was finally with San Lorenzo. After a few days of negotiations, Muniain’s desire to live a different professional experience has prevailed above all else. “Although it has been complicated because this football and this country also have very complex things, the truth is that we are very happy. We will see how we go through these months and see how it goes, but right now I would say that Iker is happy,” say those close to the Navarrese.
Solo training
Muniain himself, in a video published by his own club, said he was “extremely happy to be here. The truth is that I loved the stadium and I can’t wait to see it full of people cheering on the team. I loved everything I saw, it made me excited.”
The first words of the Navarrese after closing the agreement with his new club were that “when you are a player and you see the fans of a team as big as San Lorenzo and the creativity they have and how they encourage the team, it moves you inside. And well, I really want to get dressed and start playing.”
Said and done. Although his teammates were enjoying the weekend off, Muniain dressed up yesterday and went to the Ciudad Deportiva de San Lorenzo to train alone, first under cover and then on the grass. Today he will repeat his routine and tomorrow, after completing his first session under the orders of Romagnoli, his coach, he will be officially presented.
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