Iker Muniain has become Athletic's best assistant since Marcelino's arrival on the Bilbao bench. The rojiblanco captain has also uncovered a facet until recently unknown: his ability and quality to put goal balls from set pieces. In fact, the Navarrese's centers have scored seven goals in his eight games under the Asturian coach.
The last of them coincided with the disputed first leg of the Cup semifinal against Levante. Muniain, who was returning to the starting eleven after missing the clashes against Betis and Valencia due to muscular problems, this time launched a corner kick from the right wing and Iñigo Martínez, entering from behind as required by the canons, beat Cárdenas with a splendid shot upside down. A target that avoided the local defeat in this first cup match against Paco López's.
The paradox is that until the change of coach on the Athletic bench, carried out just beginning in 2021, Muniain had always been blamed for his problems when hitting the ball. The Navarrese, in fact, had not been until now one of the players chosen to put the set piece into action. His numbers have ended up covering the mouths of his detractors.
The captain of the Bilbao team uncovered the jar of essences in the final of the Super Cup with the center of a lateral foul that allowed Villalibre to draw at two on the edge of regulation time and force the extension. Then in added time, he gave the pass that allowed Williams to make the play that culminated in a goal to Ter Stegen with a powerful kick and a new title for Athletic.
History repeated itself, with a different protagonist, in the cup-bearer clash against UD Ibiza. The lions trailed 1-0 when Muniain, in a corner kick, put the ball on Raúl García's head, which led to a 1-1 draw. A few days later, against Getafe in San Mamés, the two reconnected.
The captain crossed this time with his left leg and his partner, coming from behind, sent the leather to the bottom of the Azulona goal with a complicated shot. Yeray later took advantage of another pass from Navarre's lateral free-kick to sign it 2-1. The story, with different protagonists, repeated itself days later in Alcoyano. This time the Athletic captain put a pumped ball after a rival infraction and Williams, coming from behind, headed to the back of the Alicante net giving the classification to his team.
-Between Orue and Larrazabal-
Muniain, who turned 28 last December, has been a starter for Athletic in the historic eleven for some time. The rojiblanco captain recently surpassed Aitor Larrazabal to rank eighth on the list of players with the most official matches as a lion. The Navarrese, despite having suffered two serious and lasting knee injuries, is in eighth position with a total of 447 games, 34 less so far than Orue.
This is another of the footballers of the Bilbao entity that bears the ‘made in Lezama’ seal. His incorporation to the rojiblanca quarry from Txantrea, to play in Infantil A occurred in the 2005-2006 campaign. At just 16 years old, with Caparrós on the bench, he made his debut as a lion in a Europa League match against the Swiss Young Boys. Its progression has not stopped since.