"The day was long, but that always happens when a game is played at ten o'clock at night, but I was not nervous, at all, only excited, and in the party you saw it, like a veteran. That this guy sometimes seems with ice. " Speak someone very close to Julen Agirzabala (Rentería, 2000), which last Monday was worried about the emotional state of the boy hours before scoring a historical landmark, being the youngest goalkeeper who defends the athletic goal in three decades, from Kike Burgos in 1991.
Afterwards, "you saw it," the boy corresponded notably at Martínez Valero de Elche to the confidence granted by Marcelino. In the first minute he saved a shot at Bigaso Bocas and in the final stretch he stretched until he almost played the crossbar to prevent Makente tete to give the victory to the Illicitans, being the most outstanding man of gray premiere (0-0) of the Athletic in this league. "He has been fine, very concentrated. It is not easy to debut on the first day, even more so if you are a young goalkeeper. I am very satisfied with him, the truth, "Marcelino praised him, who has bet on him to the detriment of Jokin Ezkieta while Uni Simon enjoys his vacation after eurocopa and Olympic Games.
When the goalkeeper holds the selection, maybe next week, Agirzabala is called to return to the subsidiary, which plays at first RFEF, but meanwhile the Athletic goal is yours. And he today will premiere it in San Mamés, in the first game with public since before the pandemic. "He is aware of that circumstance, he has spoken with the coach and he will not go to his head, at all. In a subsidiary there are always players who believe that, as they have told them from children who are very good, they already know everything. Julen is the opposite, "Analyzes Dani Aranzubia, former Athletic goalkeeper and current preparer of the Bilbao Athletic goalkeepers.
Those who know the kid coincide in describing him as a discreet, quiet, simple and humble. In the personal facet, almost a Simon Calco, its predecessor in that infinite factory of goalkeepers who is Lezama in recent years: Aitor, Kepa, Remiro ... "And it's a sponge, absorbs everything you say and ask you Concrete aspects to try to improve. Besides that he is very good, he has a predisposition to learn and an extraordinary work capacity, "Aranzubia comraded, the preparer who has worked with him during the last three seasons. The former Athletic goalkeeper, sports and athletic defines him as a goalkeeper "with a high level of high concentration that makes him make very few failures, very fast and safe in the air game». The biggest margin of improvement, tells himself, he has it in the game with his feet.
Agirzabala came relatively late to Lezama, already in youth category, after forming in the ancielo Donostiarra, from which José Mari Amorortu signed him. Long before, his father Juanjo has already presumed as a goalkeeper in the corridors of the Basque Parliament, where he served as a parliamentarian of Eusko Alkartasuna - today integrated in Eh Bildu- between 2010 and 2016 before resuming his post of education officer and separating himself from the Active policy
The boy has been burning stages very fast, generating great expectations in Athletic and also in the RFEF, which has him on his radar for the next list of sub'21. "He is not like Kepa, Remiro or Simon, those who pointed out as stars since child," they point from the surroundings of him. "I have not been lucky enough to train those three, but I do not know if they had a performance with the subsidiary at the level of the level of Julen last year," replicates Aranzubia. He astonished from his debut in Florida in front of Portugalete, covering the low beside the Covid of the Until Holder Ander Iru -Su Father Aitor, goalkeeper's coach of the first team, he said positive-, although he only ended up playing 14 games, partly by A muscle injury that pushed you out of the last month and a half competition.
The boy lived in the residence for footballers who has Athletic in Derio until a year ago, when he moved to a flat near Lezama with his companions of the subsidiary Jaso, Diarra and Prados, who has also made the preseason with the first team . It combines its incipient professional career in soccer - under March until 2025- with the industrial engineering studies - it is in the second year - at the San Mamés campus at the University of the Basque Country, a few meters from the field in which tonight , against Barça, will play for the first time.
Date Of Update: 20 August 2021, 20:48
