Iker Muniain shares his views on Spanish football

Iker Muniain

Spanish footballer and Athletic Club's prolific goal-scorer Iker Muniain gets chatty and shares his views on his career so far and what he aims to achieve in the coming seasons.

Q: Does getting a win takes a great weight off your shoulders?
A: Yes, achieving a victory when you are in that dynamic always drives you on. I remember that we managed to beat Girona in the last minute, with a penalty, and from that point on, good results came along for us. Then, when the dynamic begins to turn positive, it is easier to feel good on the pitch and dare to do more things. In one way or another, we have been finding an idea and a style of play that is allowing us to enjoy what we do. This is also reflected in the atmosphere, since people identify more with the team.

Q: On a personal level, how are you feeling?
A: On a personal level it's a great moment in my career. I feel full of confidence and happiness, I am able to enjoy playing and some very nice things are coming my way, such as the call-up to the Spanish national team. I am enjoying myself very much, with the same excitement as my first day playing, and with a lot of desire to do big things with the club.

Q: And you're also scoring goals ...
A: I'm happy about the goals I've scored. I hope that, for the remainder of the season, I can get more and end the season with a nice number to my name.

Q: Which is your favourite from this season?
A: I would say the goal that I scored against Real Betis. I thought it was a good goal, especially because of the great move I made inside the area, moving the ball with my heel and shooting with my left foot. It was a good goal, in a beautiful game which we ended up winning 1-0 ... I'll go with that, although every goal is special.

Q: How do you remember your first goal for Athletic?
A: My first goal for Athletic was very emotional and very special. It was a goal with which I broke the record as the youngest player to score in LaLiga. That record was broken again a few years later, but it was very special. It was in Valladolid, when I was 16 years and 9 months old; it was an afternoon that I will never forget.

Q: Which is your son's favourite goal of yours?
A: My son watches all the goals that I have scored, as he can see them on a tablet and the like. He watches all the goals and he sees videos of me. He's a kid, so as I score them he likes them all.

Q: What's your favourite one?
A: In LaLiga, the goal I scored against Real Sociedad. I took the ball on the left side, dribbled inside and then put the ball into the top corner. It was a nice goal, in a derby, which is always important. I'm sure I've forgot another one, but I'll go with that one.

Q: You're having fewer injuries now.
A: The injuries I suffered during my career have been major injuries, which meant I went a long without playing. That is tough for a player. Now I'm fit again, and I don't think about the injuries when I'm on the pitch -because that would distract me from the game. I work to minimise the risk of injury every day, doing prevention exercises, but once I get on the pitch in a game I forget about that. What you want is to play, enjoy yourself, help the team and do your best.

Q: How have the injuries helped you mentally and athletically?
A: The issue of injuries has helped me in general. I believe there is a before and after in my life, both in the sporting and personal sides. After going through some hard times, you recover, and you see that you are still performing at a good level and doing good things after the ordeal. That gives much more value to what you have suffered and what you have gone through. I believe that it strengthens you on the inside, having dedicated so much time to recovering.

Q: What do you remember about your first injury?
A: The first knee injury I had was at the Sánchez-Pizjuán, in a LaLiga match. I have that moment in my mind where I noticed something was wrong with my knee. It was when I was holding the ball up in the area. When I remember it, the hairs on the back of my neck still stand up on end. Then there was the operation, which is also tough, and then you have to recover, get back to exercising and work constantly every day. I don't like to think back to the incident itself, because it gives me a little chill down my spine.

Q: Let's talk about your contract renewal. How do you get to the point of thinking: I want to stay here forever?
A: The issue of my renewal has also been a very important matter recently. It was a different renewal, without a buyout clause, that binds me completely to this club, with no option for another team to pay a certain amount and be able to sign me. It's a decision I made because I love this club and I feel that this is my home, where I want to be. I communicated that to the Board of Directors and between the two of us we managed to devise this renewal that created so much impact. Now we are seeing that other players have also opted for this method of signing without a buyout clause. It's something that makes me proud, that other players are following suit, especially because it's good for the club. Taking into account that, at other times, the buyout clauses for some of my teammates have been paid and they have left, hurting the fans, I think this also gives them peace of mind.

Q: I'm sure the fans let you know about this
A: Yes, they let you know. In the end, for the fans the club and the players are sacred. When one of us leaves, the fans have a hard time because they feel disappointed, so to speak. I did not want that to happen to me and that's why I opted to make that decision. I am very happy with how everything was resolved and how the people have taken it.

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