From Arteta to Alonso: Those who are spreading the fragrance of Basque-football in Europe.Today Sports News

Basques are one of the oldest ethnic groups in Europe. The history of their struggle for independence is also quite long. Their language, called 'Eusera', is also ancient. It is so ancient that the origin of this language is unknown. Even a language close to or similar to Euscara does not exist!

It is said that the people of the Basque region also like to make friends with giant monsters. One part of the Basques live in France, the other in Spain. The Basques, who are combative and have a rich cultural heritage, have little footballing success. European football is far away.

Bilbao have won La Liga eight times, but the last was in the 1983–84 season. Sociedad have won the league title twice, the last being in the 1981–82 season. There are also logical and historical reasons for the continuous failure of Basque clubs in football for a long time. But this article is not about that. And success is not the last word, it will also be clear at the end of this article. This article is mainly about the people who, in recent times, have come forward to restore the glory of the Basques. Their arrival not only restored the dignity of the Basques, but also brought a new day in football.

Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso, Unai Emery, Julen Lopetegui, Emmanuel Alguacil and Andoni Iraola are all startling names. The emergence of these coaches in Europe is from this Basque. Apart from this, the name of a coach like Jagoba Arasat, who showed great success for Osasuna, can also be included in the list. 

However, this regional map can be made smaller if desired. The coaches originally came from Gipuskoa, a province of 725,000 settlements. Only 1.5% of Spain's population lives in the region. But the region's coaches occupy 50 percent of the top four in the Premier League and 100 percent of the top in the Bundesliga.

Michael Itskeri has seen the magical rise of Basque coaches in European football very closely. Itskeri is an institution in itself in Basque football. For many football coaches, he is like a saint and some even consider him a tactical guru. "I always say one thing, when you go to praise Gipuskoa or Basque Country, you have to be careful not to belittle other provinces," he said.

He expressed his opinion about the peculiarity of football in the Basque region, saying, "The people of the Basque region develop themselves like team work under the leadership of a coach. There are many sports in this region, which are directly related to work. Such as lifting goods or lifting stones. And this effort has always been associated with sports. ’

Real Sociedad coach Alguacil agrees with Itskari. However, the football pundit expressed some surprise about being the coach of this Aguachil, 'I did not expect him to be a coach. He's a very introverted Manu

Sociedad has shown unprecedented progress since Alguachil took over in 2018. The club is going to participate in European competition for five consecutive seasons. Sociedad even played in the second round of the Champions League last season. And the club's most successful under this Basque coach is to win the Copa del Rey by defeating Basque opponent Bilbao in the 2019-20 season.

Emery, however, has nothing new to introduce. Emery has proved his superiority by winning the Europa League for three consecutive seasons with Sevilla. In total, he won the Europa League four times. The Basque coach has given a great surprise to Aston Villa in the recently concluded season. Aston Villa returned to Europe's top-tier competition after 42 years.

Mikel Arteta's name is also shining on the list of those coming from the Basque. Arteta has fought hard for Premier League supremacy for two consecutive seasons with Arsenal. Twice