Forty years and it all came down to a single kick. At 00.51 in the morning in Seville, Alex Berenguer stood by the penalty spot, handed one shot, one opportunity to seize everything they ever wanted. Across four decades and five consecutive defeated finals, Athletic Club had been close but never as close as this and they were not going to let go, not now. Berenguer skipped to one side, ran towards the ball, smashed it into the bottom corner of the net and just kept on running: over the advertising boards, across the track, and towards the thousands and thousands of fans celebrating their first major trophy in a generation.
Unmoor the barge they dared not name. Athletic’s traditional, almost mystical mode of transport when it comes to celebrating titles, its picture seemingly on every wall in the city, its mere mention provoking nostalgia and longing, can finally set sail again. Take it down the Nervión river and past San Mames for the first time since 1984. Back then, a million people lined the route; now, there may even be more. “There were ten commandments in the dressing room: one was not mentioning the barge; now I want to experience it for myself,” Nico Williams said. “It’s been 40 years, let’s see if it still floats,” joked Unai Simón.
