Goalkeeper Unai Simon lives and breathes his commitment to Athletic Bilbao, a bond that stretches well beyond contracts and agreements. He proves it with his words and his actions.
On 24 May 2024, Simon put pen to paper on a new deal with Athletic Bilbao that carried no release clause. He has now explained why in some striking comments.
Speaking in quotes highlighted by Spanish newspaper "Marca", Simon said: "I don't think the question of whether or not there's a release clause necessarily reflects the truth of your feelings towards Athletic Bilbao. In the end, when you want to prove that you love something or someone, you do so through your daily actions. You have to prove it every day."
The goalkeeper insisted his relationship with the club runs far deeper than anything written in a contract. "I will not leave this place. Even if someone came and paid the release clause value of 150 million, I still would not leave. I don't want to leave. If Athletic Bilbao tell me next season that they don't want me to continue, I'll pack my bags and go, despite the intense pain that will accompany it, but as long as the club wants me to stay here, I won't move from my place."
To capture the depth of that devotion, Simon compared celebrating the Copa del Rey with celebrating a World Cup. "There's no comparison between the Copa del Rey celebrations and the World Cup celebrations. For me, the five days I lived after winning the Copa del Rey alongside my friends, those close to me and my team-mates, are nothing at all like the tribute I received after the World Cup, which, on a professional level, represents the highest any player can reach."
He concluded: "But in terms of passion, and the feelings you give to people or that people make you feel, the matter is completely different, at least for my surroundings. Those five days were among the most wonderful days of my life, and they were completed in exceptional fashion with the trophy celebration procession aboard the traditional boat, which was stunning."