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After a 16 year stay in Athletic Bilbao, Joseba Etxeberria says goodbye to football (or soccer if you like).

His last official game was La Liga's Athletic vs. Deportivo, where he was substituted in the 70th minute and left the pitch in tears after hugging every player in it, from both his team and the other team.

He received a standing ovation while he did.

This match ended with a 2-0 win for Athletic with goals by Muniain (min 19) and Javi Martinez (min 77).

Joseba Etxeberria came to Bilbao from Real Sociedad in 1995 after having only played seven games in La Liga. He played for Athletic for the next 16 years, where he became an institution and was captain for some years.

Personally, I think his best year was 2003 when he scored 14 goals, and as a team, it would be 1998 when Athletic finished second to Real Madrid in La Liga, or 2009 when the team played the Spanish Cup final and Super Cup final, but lost both to Barcelona.

He played his last year almost for free, as he signed a two-year deal for half of what he was payed before. In his last year, he donated all his earnings to the Athletic Bilbao Foundation.

After his last off...

Read Complete Article at Bleacher Report - Sports & Society
Article is property of BleacherReport.com

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