Bilbao’s San Mames stadium was built using human chain from old ground and holds record attendance in ANOTHER sport
MANCHESTER UNITED or Tottenham fans will be praising their heroes for securing Champions League qualification in one of Europe’s most fascinating stadiums – dubbed ‘the Cathedral’.
The two sides are hoping to put their nightmare Premier League seasons and dreadful form aside to clinch the Europa League crown.
For Spurs, the final represents the chance to win a first major trophy since 2008.
For United, it is their back-door route back to Europe’s top table in a season where they may well finish 17th – ahead of only relegated trio Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton.
But there are as many storylines about the stadium where they will face off as the football itself.
United beat Athletic Club in the semi-final to deny the Bilbao side from playing a European final in their home ground.
Uefa awarded this season’s Europa League final to the San Mames Stadium because it was due to host four matches at Euro 2020, including all three of Spain’s group matches.
However, high Covid rates in the Basque Country saw the San Mames replaced by the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville instead.
So the compensation for missing out on the Euros was Wednesday’s Europa League showpiece and last year’s Women’s Champions League final.
HISTORICAL HANDIWORK
The state-of-the-art San Mames Stadium was opened as Athletic Club’s new ground in 2013.
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The 53,000-seater venue – which has LED coloured lights on the outside like Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena – replaced their predecessor stadium of the same name which opened exactly 100 years earlier.
In an incredible touch recognising their history and heritage, a brick and a piece of turf from the old ground were also used in the building of the new San Mames.
But rather than let a construction worker do the deed, a human chain including club legends, members of the women’s team, academy and both its oldest and youngest players and fans were all involved in carrying the brick from its place in the old stadium facade to the neighbouring new site.
ORPHAN SHRINE
The name San Mames is a reference to Saint Mammes of Caesarea, a third-century Christian martyr who was born in prison where his parents were jailed.
His mum and dad were both killed for their faith, leaving young Mammes an orphan.
Mammes himself was persecuted for his own beliefs, including being thrown to lions – but managed to escape before eventually being impaled with a trident which eventually killed him.
There is an old shrine to Saint Mammes next to the stadium, giving the ground its ‘Cathedral’ nickname.
And it helps explain why Athletic Club are nicknamed the Lions.
CAPTAINS GIVE THEIR FLOWERS
As we have already seen, the club are steeped in history.
But their 98-year tradition is arguably the classiest of all.
For virtually an entire century, the captains of teams playing at the San Mames – both the old and new versions – have laid flowers to honour Athletic icon Rafael Moreno Aranzadi, better known as Pichichi.
The legendary striker, who played for them in the early 1900s, suddenly passed away aged 29 from typhus.
Skippers lay the flowers beside a statue of Pichichi in the tunnel area, with the bust placed outside at the previous stadium.
Hungarian side MTK Budapest were the first to make the gesture in 1927.
Bruno Fernandes will not participate in the tradition this week, having already played at the stadium multiple times – but Son Heung-min is set to as it is Spurs’ first visit.
SAN-DWICHES
Athletic Club’s away fans are some of the best around – as they demonstrated on their recent visit to Old Trafford with the semi-final already all but over.
And their home supporters are just as good – with home matchdays not just about the 90 minutes on the pitch.
They gather in their thousands hours before kick-off on the Poza street just across from the stadium.
The road is lined with bars and so the fans enjoy some pre-match drinks and pintxos snacks.
But they also make sure to buy their sandwiches which they take in and eat at half-time, a wholesome Athletic tradition.
SWITCHING SPORTS
But the San Mames Stadium is not just used for football.
In 2019, it was used as the starting point for stage 13 of the Vuelta a Espana as cyclists warmed up by riding around the pitch before setting off and heading out of Bilbao.
Three Athletic fans and riders – Jonatan Lastra, Mikel Bizkarra and Omar Fraile – even wore the famous red-and-white shirts as they posed for photos on their bikes inside the stadium.
Lastly, the record attendance at the stadium was set in another sport.
A whopping 52,114 fans crammed into the San Mames on April 17 this year for Athletic Club vs Rangers in the Europa League quarter-final, a new highest tally for a football match.
However, that was exceeded for rugby union’s Champions Cup final in 2018 as Leinster beat Racing 92 in front of 52,282 spectators.
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