Into The Lions' Den - Spiritual San Mames Awaits Man Utd

The sound of nan alboka cascading done Basque villages erstwhile acted arsenic a telephone to neighbours that a show was astir to begin. These days, pinch Athletic Club hitting nan correct notes successful Europe and La Liga, nan thrum of nan accepted horn usually precedes a carnival ambiance astatine San Mames.

As it peters retired nan txalaparta begins, nan clunk of sticks connected a woody plank echo astir nan 53,000-capacity arena earlier nan iconic nine anthem kicks in: "For each of america you are ours. Because you were calved from nan people..."

"It sums up nan halfway thought and accuracy of Athletic, this thought that players person a person necktie to nan nine they are representing," explains Basque journalist Benat Gutierrez.

"The nexus is tighter because you mostly cognize personification who knows personification whose kid aliases neighbour has climbed nan different levels of Athletic earlier playing for nan first team."

Manchester United caput to Bilbao connected Thursday for a semi-final first limb knowing if they are to triumph nan Europa League 2 of their imaginable 3 remaining games successful nan title will travel astatine San Mames, which will besides big nan last connected Wednesday, 21 May.

It is simply a genuinely unsocial and iconic stadium. One that bears an almost belief aura and has frankincense been nicknamed The Cathedral - fans still believe Saint Mammes astatine nan tract of an aged shrine adjacent door, nan third-century orphan who pacified nan lions sent to termination him. It's why Athletic are known arsenic "Los Leones", The Lions.

San Mames is simply a awesome of Basque identity, conscionable arsenic Athletic person go a Basque institution done their accuracy of only fielding players who are calved aliases raised successful nan region. "Unique successful nan world," they telephone it.

Families sojourn together, nine memberships are passed down done generations for illustration heirlooms. The players representing Athletic connected nan section were erstwhile those decked successful reddish and achromatic successful nan stands.

"Every clip I measurement connected nan transportation I consciousness for illustration I'm surviving nan dream of that small boy who utilized to spell to nan stadium pinch his parents and who dreamed of 1 time being capable to play shot astatine San Mames," explains young midfielder Mikel Jauregizar. "You cognize what nan nine intends to everyone who's there. I consciousness a very beardown relationship pinch our fans."

It is simply a stadium wherever contented prevails. From Basque rituals specified arsenic nan alboka and txalaparta, to nan 'Txoria Txori', erstwhile players clasp aft nan crippled and singing successful unison pinch nan fans, to different chants successful nan connection astir "losing your beard".

"That's astir nan accuracy of Athletic," beams Gutierrez. "If you alteration it, you whitethorn triumph much titles. But you emotion Athletic, you don't emotion nan titles…"

"Fans are adjacent to nan transportation and really successful sync pinch nan players," explains Gaizka Atxa, laminitis of a supporters' group named aft Fred Pentland, a legendary erstwhile English coach of nan club.

"The situation is usually overwhelming for rivals that travel to San Mames. It's intimidating, particularly successful La Liga. In Spain, I don't deliberation there's a akin type of environment."

The San Mames experience, though, originates agelong earlier kick-off. On nan bar-lined 'Poza', supporters dripping successful reddish and achromatic spell done their pre-match routines, gathering for drinks and pintxos, buying their sandwiches for half-time, thing of an Athletic tradition.

"When Athletic is performing really well, nan pre-match ambiance is 2nd to none," says Atxa. "People are ever socialising, friends getting together and trying to person a bully clip and bask themselves, that acquisition of hanging retired earlier nan match, that's really what a batch of fans really like.

"Once you get into nan Athletic culture, group really bask nan socialising earlier nan lucifer and that really gets you into a bully spirit."

Built connected nan tract of nan aged stadium, nan caller San Mames, opened successful 2013, is some ideally located wrong stepping region of nan metropolis and a stone's propulsion from nan River Nervion.

It's a tract packed pinch history and 1 wherever legends are celebrated.

A statue of erstwhile goalkeeper and skipper Jose Angel Iribar stands successful beforehand of nan crushed - it was Iribar and Real Sociedad skipper Inaxio Kortabarria who carried a banned Basque emblem connected to nan transportation earlier a derby successful December 1976, pursuing nan decease of Spanish wide Francisco Franco.

Meanwhile, nan bust of Rafael Moreno Aranzadi, amended known arsenic Pichichi, Athletic's prolific guardant successful nan early 20th period who La Liga's apical goalscorer grant is named after, sits astatine nan entranceway of nan players' tunnel.

"With Pichichi, we are talking astir a legend, 1 of nan astir iconic players for Athletic and personification who transcends Athletic to beryllium an important portion of Spanish shot culture," says Gutierrez.

"Iribar goes moreover beyond that. He is simply a legend, but he is presently nan embodiment of nan values of Athletic. He is nan astir important typical of nan club.

"He is nan personification immoderate instrumentality is truthful happy to spot around. He is ever location to show Athletic is pinch nan people, he is personification for illustration nary different successful Athletic's history."

Manchester United of people person their ain history astatine San Mames. Matt Busby's broadside mislaid 5-3 successful nan European Cup quarter-final first limb during uncommon snowfall successful Bilbao successful January 1957, but won nan reverse limb 3-0 - astatine rivals City's Maine Road - to progress.

The clubs met again successful nan 2012 Europa League past 16, a twelvemonth earlier nan caller crushed opened, erstwhile Marcelo Bielsa's broadside hit Sir Alex Ferguson's outfit complete 2 legs connected their measurement to nan final, wherever they were beaten by Atletico Madrid.

It was nan 2nd clip nan Basque broadside person vanished runners-up successful nan competition, having mislaid complete 2 legs connected distant goals to Juventus successful 1977.

This season, having ended nan club's 40-year trophy drought pinch nan Copa del Rey past summer, location is nan added inducement of trying to triumph a first European trophy astatine their own, iconic home.

"Even though we're a humble team, we are very competitory and we ever want to win," says Atxa. "We request to show nan world of shot that Athletic tin guidelines retired pinch its accuracy against nan best.

"Every clip we play successful San Mames, nan first point I deliberation is 'let's make it different 100 years for illustration this'. Every crippled is different successful which we tin compete astatine a precocious level pinch a unsocial philosophy.

"Really, it's a spot of a miracle."