The maturity of Iñigo Lekue in Athletic

I wrote a few weeks ago, when Dani Vivian was the protagonist of this back cover, that the Vitorian was, or was being, for me, the revelation of the season, and that he has not been able to play for a few days. It also gave Nico Williams options to unseat the central defender from that position. As the season is going, it is possible that the youngest of the Williamses is an option to be the revelation of the season.

I think Iñigo Lekue is eligible for this award. Although even more could fit in the classification of surprise.

Make no mistake, it is a surprise how many minutes Deusto has accumulated this season. At least for me. It is that in November it already took more minutes than the previous season.

Of course, the case of Capa was not expecting me. But the Portuguese, for when it corresponds. Lekue has been able to take advantage of, that I am understood, what often happens in other work areas: being at the right time and in the right situation. Injuries and decisions of the coach (or the club) allowed the Bilbao to start the season as a starter and, of course, then the most important thing has come: the player has responded on the field with a remarkable performance. Because that is the fundamental thing.

He started the summer thinking that he still had to go out like Unai López, Kodro and company and it has become almost a fixture for Marcelino. In fact, the coach himself assured weeks ago that when they landed in Bilbao, Lekue had the possibility of leaving.

Marcelino’s word

“I spoke with him and I did not guarantee that he could play a lot. But this year he comes and plays. I try to be fair. He, with his performance, has been in charge of showing that he is a valid player for Athletic. Before he had excess of desire and that led him to mistakes. Self-confidence has increased. I have not given him the minutes, he has earned them hard, “added the coach.

What most caught my attention is that Marcelino includes him as an option for the left side, rather than the right side. At 28 years old and in what is his seventh season in the rojiblanco first team, Lekue seems to have found football maturity.

His has not been an easy path, far from it. Formed in the lower categories of Danok Bat, he arrived in Lezama in the summer of 2012 to enlist in the ranks of Basconia. He then completed two seasons at Bilbao Athletic, the second of which included promotion to the Second Division, and in August 2015 he had the opportunity to debut with the first team under Ernesto Valverde.

A triumphant leap, since his first minutes as a lion coincided with the defeat of Barcelona (4-0) in the first leg of the Super Cup that Athletic would end up raising a few days later in Barcelona. Sabin Merino also made his debut with him that season. The one from Urduliz continues to make his way in Leganés. Lekue is the fourth captain of the team and continues to grow into the team of his life. It is not something from the other Thursday.