Giuseppe Bergomi, One-Club Man 2024, and Maria Gstöttner, One-Club Woman 2024, spoke to the press before receiving their awards at San Mames during Athletic vs Real Madrid
Giuseppe Bergomi, legendary FC Internazionale Milan defender and our 2024 One-Club Man, together with Maria Gstöttner, iconic USV Neulengbach striker and the 2024 One Club Woman, are now in Bilbao to collect their trophies at San Mames before Athletic Club vs Real Madrid kicks off.
Before receiving a standing ovation from the Zurigorri fans, they answered questions from the media at an open event organised by Athletic at San Mames’ sportsbar, Geuria. Numerous Athleticzales, keen to meet the former footballers, also attended the presentation.
The former Inter defender praised the Athletic Club model and highlighted what it means to spend your entire career with the same team.
“Athletic is a unique club that values its players careers very much. Athletic sees its players as a means of communicating its message” he said.
“I understand and appreciate what it means for Athletic to fight against such strong teams. It is admirable.”
Asked about the difficulty of maintaining a career at a single club in modern football, Bergomi replied that “it is difficult to retain players in the face of the giants, but it is entirely possible. You have to appreciate the work involved in retaining talent”.
Beppe acknowledged feeling a sense of “tremendous pride” upon receiving the 2024 One-Club Man award from Athletic, “a club with a unique history and recognised all over the world”.
“The One-Club Award reflects the responsibility of wearing your club’s shirts and the importance of knowing how to pass on that responsibility to the younger players.
“That was my main objective while I was captain of Inter, to emphasise the sense of belonging and to try to make the younger players in the dressing room understand that.”
Gstöttner: “It’s a crowning moment in my career”
ForeMaria Gstöttner expressed her great pleasure at receiving this honour from Athletic together with her family.
She said: “It’s a great honour, a kind of crowning of my career, the icing on the cake of my career.”
“I love the way Athletic promotes the talent they have in their home territory, it is admirable to see how they’ve maintain it over the years and always competed at the top.”
Gstöttner met the Athletic Club Women’s first team at Lezama on Wednesday morning and was impressed by the ‘very high standard’ of the facilities.
She added: “In Austria we don’t have facilities like that. I wasn’t lucky enough to experience that, but I’m glad to know that here they have great resources to keep moving forward in this world.”
