Iker Muniain is an iconic player for Athletic Club and a symbol of football street. A rogue style capable of escaping ambushes, sending accurate balls and dribbling with his body in order to run the pace of the games to the rhythm of the right foot from the ’10’.
Small but slippery, Athletic’s captain is at the best moment of his game after thirteen seasons in the elite where he has matured his football until reaching the plenitude under coach Marcelino. All the playing from ‘The Lions’ goes on his boots and that is what makes the ‘Cathedral’ dream of finally lifting a trophy.
A career marked by the precocity of his debut at the age of 16 and two serious knee injuries along the way where Muniain has led the roars of San Mamés to establish his talent and find an optimal regularity to the service of his team.
With the arrival of Marcelino a year ago, the ’10’ displays his best game from the position of a fake left winger where his coach, loyal to a typical solid 4-4-2 system from the conservative but effective school, has put him with total freedom of movements to help him to develop all his creativeness.
Because these kind of players count on a gifted ability to read the games that allow them to know when and where to be exactly at to express their full potential.
It is true that Iker’s DNA might invite to think that he is a classical playmaker without defensive responsibilities, but his commitment to the team makes him to squeeze himself the most from the first pressing line in order to steal the ball on the opposite half and display his imagination where it harms the most.
All this added to the irruption of talent from the Lezama academy with players like Nico Williams, Oihan Sancet or Nico Serrano make Muniain to enjoy of optimal receivers to culminate his intellect.
Not even 30 and on his way to become a pure ‘one club man’, Muniain has reached his plenitude and still has a lot of football to give.
Main image: Twitter @AthleticClub.