David Trueba and Óscar López brought the 17th edition of the Athletic Club Foundation’s cultural festival to a close at San Mamés
The final day of ‘Letras y Fútbol’ was more about literature and football than ever before. The conversation between filmmaker and writer David Trueba and Óscar López was scheduled for 8 pm, just after the Champions League final had finished. The East Room of the ‘San Mames VIP Area’ had been full since 6 pm, as the festival had scheduled a screening of the match between PSG and Arsenal… and then the unexpected happened, as Dante Panzeri would say, “the dynamics of the unthinkable”: extra time and penalties.
The festival organisers made a Solomonic decision: the talk began at 8 pm, as agreed, but after David Trueba, Óscar López and Galder Reguera, who acted as moderator, had spoken, the screen continued to show the final with the sound turned off: words and football in their purest form.
Literature triumphed over football
David Trueba had already taken part in the first edition of ‘Letras y Fútbol’ in 2010, alongside none other than Andoni Iraola and Andoni Zubizarreta, and 16 editions later he once again proved himself to be an exceptional speaker. He has the versatility to play in any system and in any position, and what’s more, he tells – or perhaps makes up, who knows – some absolutely hilarious stories.
Here’s a case in point. Following the match report on this year’s Cup final, which he had to write in a rush on his mobile – as he had just five minutes between the final whistle and submitting the text – he recalled an anecdote about the dangers of predictive text.
To a friend who was going through a very tough time following a break-up, he sent the following message:
“I know it’s hard for you to see the light at the end of the tunnel right now, but you’ll get through this, you’ll see. And remember that, in the end, there’s nothing that can’t be sorted out with a few laughs.”
– “What do you mean?” – his friend replied immediately, which surprised Trueba because, due to his depression, he wasn’t replying to any messages.
When he checked what he’d sent, he read: “… remember that, in the end, there’s nothing that can’t be sorted out with a few laughs.”
If we add the precise passes from Reguera and López to this ‘box-to-box’ player that is Trueba, there’s no doubt that the lyrics prevailed over the football and that victory was the best possible finale to the festival.
Video highlights
Five days of football-themed discussions have come to an end, featuring a championship-winning team coached by Galder Reguera and boasting a Champions League-calibre trio: Irvine Welsh, Enrique Vila-Matas and David Trueba. The line-up was rounded off by renowned figures from the artistic, literary and cultural scenes, including Amets Arzallus, Marta San Miguel, Paco Gómez, Aitor Lagunas, Lander Otaola, Javier Aznar, Diego Ibáñez and Óscar López.
For posterity, here are Irvine Welsh’s words on Athletic Club from the video summary: “The Club’s history and philosophy, as well as its integration with the community, make it a truly unique club, without equal.”
‘Letras y Futbol’
‘Letras y Futbol’ is a cultural festival organised by the Athletic Club Foundation, with special sponsorship from the Meliá Bilbao hotel and support from the Spanish Government’s Ministry of Culture and Sport.
