Obi: “I have never focused my life on being a professional footballer”

Amorebieta exemplifies the essence of football, where the most unpredictable dreams can become reality. A leap to professionalism, which has forced them to change their modest Urritxe stadium for Lezama, and some of their players to park their respective jobs. One of them is Koldo Obieta 'Obi' (Gernika, 27 years old), the architect of the goal that gave the Blues their first victory in professional football. The striker is already part of the history of this humble club from Zornotza, the smallest municipality in the entire Second Division, with just over 19,000 inhabitants. In a pleasant chat in the stands of Urritxe, Obi has attended to the newspaper AS before the morning training.

How much has your life changed in recent months with the leap to being a professional footballer?

Last year while I was playing I was teaching math and doing some substitutions. Now, I only focus on football, since I make a living from it. Basically that has been the biggest change I have ever had.

Gernikarra, grew in the club of his town until arriving at the first team, where they managed to ascend. What dreams did that 19-year-old Obi have? Was he considering how far he could go in football?

I didn't even stop to think about it, I played football while I studied and it was something that came up as I went along. At Gernika they gave me the opportunity to play in the first team, and the day I made my debut in the Third Division it was already something very unexpected and emotional for me. I took soccer as something I liked and had been practicing since I was little. It allowed me to vent and put aside other things like studies. At no time has my life been focused on being a footballer, I have come to it without being my goal since I was little.

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In the summer of 2016 his first stage began in Urritxe, which, in turn, was his debut in Second B. A great year with 13 goals led him to sign for the Eibar subsidiary, Vitoria. He did not play in the first team, but things in life, this year they will face both in Second.

The trajectory until reaching Second B was a bit complicated. The year we were promoted with Gernika I didn't play much and I had to go to Zamudio to show myself that I could play in the category. There we got promotion, and I signed for Amorebieta, where I consolidated in Second B even though it was my first year. Then I arrived at Eibar, when the structure of their grassroots football was not well established yet. I had a couple of weeks that I trained with the first team and I was about to make my debut, but it was not possible because of the record. And look, now what you say, they go down, we go up and we will face.

Last summer he returned to Amorebieta from Tudelano, after the pandemic that prevented the end of the season. With what expectations did you return to Zornotza?

I came back because I was very comfortable here and because the Amorebieta had a very good dynamic in terms of results, game and solidity. I came because I knew I was going to perform and I was going to be comfortable, but without any clear objective. I wanted to get back to my best version and enjoy football again. And suddenly, we planted ourselves in Second, almost without meaning to.

Weren't you considering getting promoted?

No, I knew we could have a good year and the goal was to get into the Pro. Even so, it was quite an ambitious and difficult goal because we had a very tough group with Bilbao Athletic, Sanse, Real Unión, Racing … And in the end, Due to the dynamics that we had, we planted ourselves in the playoffs and there we began to think that promotion was possible.

How did you go through the whole playoff process until you were able to say that you are second?

We went with all the enthusiasm in the world to the match against Linares in Badajoz. We had very clear ideas of what our game was, and we knew that if we continued solid behind, there were options. We went to enjoy and, of course, to compete as we have always competed.

He has always played in teams from Euskal Herria, the furthest was the Navarrese Tudelano, where he was after Vitoria and before returning to Amorebieta. Has the option to go to more distant clubs never come to you?

Just last summer I had an offer from Melilla, and the truth was that I was thinking about it for a couple of days. But in the middle of the pandemic, going there, outside the peninsula, seemed too much to me. I wanted to be comfortable near here and decided to go back to the Amorebieta.

After the debut in Lezama, with his heroic goal that gave the first victory in the Second Division, he said that he was in a cloud, that he was not yet aware. Are you already beginning to be aware of the importance of that goal?

Well, it was a goal that helped us win the game. In the end it is three points and we still have a long way to go, so we don't have to think about it too much. It will be seen if at the end of the year it has served something or remains anecdotal. It is true that it was something historical that will always remain there, and for that part I am happy.

This has only just begun, but it has already given Amorebieta three of the four points it has. Two with the goal of victory in Lezama, and another point with the solitary goal of Ibiza. It is still very early, but it seems that he is looming as the team's top scorer.

In the forwards it goes by streaks. You score a goal, and then the other day you start the game, the goalkeeper makes a bad start and scores another one almost without doing anything. We live for details like the goal against Almería. The movie changes from week to week, the first day I didn't even play. The two forwards are usually the usual changes and you always have 15-20 minutes to show the coach that you can play. There is no one indisputable in the team.

It will also be a year to enjoy the category. They will play on historic fields they have never set foot on, against title champion clubs. Don't they look like David versus Goliath, having to fight these colossi, being such a familiar and humble team of philosophy?

By history there are teams that are much bigger than our club. But in the end it's football, it's 11 against 11, and having clear ideas you can compete with anyone. If you look a bit out of place from the outside, but when it comes to competing we are a Second-class team like everyone else. As much as we have very powerful teams in front of us, we do not give up our idea. We have come this far being brave, and we will continue to do so.

Great level of the newly promoted after four days. In addition to Amorebieta with 4 points, there are undefeated Ibiza with 6, Sanse with 5 and Burgos with the same points. How do you see the game this Saturday?

Tough match, Burgos comes after beating Valladolid 3-0 in a pretty resounding victory. They will surely come with confidence, and it will be an even match like almost all of the category. We see ourselves with victory options, and also at home, where the only game we have played we have won.

In the match against Burgos there may be almost twice as many spectators as in Lezama's debut. How important is the hobby for the team?

Very much. It is appreciated that there is a hobby and that close people come to cheer you on. It gives us a very important mental boost to get the points we need.

Finally, an individual and collective purpose for this exciting year?

Personally, give my best version and help the team in whatever way I can. Collectively, achieve permanence.