Athletic Club legend Iker Muniain has announced that he will leave the club after 15 years in the first team, having become the second-most capped player in club history, and lifted the Copa del Rey 40 years after the club’s last major trophy this season.
A child prodigy, Muniain arrived at the age of 12 and now nearly two decades later, the 31-year-old will depart at the end of his contract this summer. Muinain’s 557 appearances are second only to that of Jose Angel Iribar, who played 614 matches. During those matches, Muniain scored 75 goals and gave 70 assists, and will have six more games this season to add to that total.
🦁Major news coming out of Bilbao – Iker Munian will leave Athletic Club after 15 years in the first team. pic.twitter.com/hngF2t2OAK
— Football España (@footballespana_) April 24, 2024
Starting off as a left-winger, Muniain played either there or behind the striker for most of his career, earning 2 caps for Spain. Perhaps reaching his peak under Marcelo Bielsa, two ligament injuries robbed him of a yard of pace in recent years.
The club captain emphasized that it was ‘time to say farewell’ and that he wanted to go out through the main entrance, having brought home the Copa del Rey and sailed on the Gabarra. Of course with six games to go and just a three-point gap to Atletico Madrid, he could potentially miss out on the chance to return to the Champions League next season with Athletic. He did not give nay hints over his next step, but it seems unlikely it will be in Spain. He has previously declared a love for River Plate in Argentina.
