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The feeling was mutual.
Newcastle may have been knocked out of the tournament on away goals difference, but fan Tony Waters still speaks fondly of this particular trip because of the reception locals gave in support of the travel.
“They won’t let you spend anything,” he said. “I’m not kidding. I followed Newcastle all over Europe and came back with as much money in my pocket as I went with [on that trip].
“They were very nice and rolled out the red carpet for us. They didn’t let you buy a drink.”
The seeds were sown on Tyneside two weeks ago after Newcastle supporters gave their Spanish visitors a warm welcome.
It was so memorable that even Athletic players like Swansea would later learn how the crowd “connected very well there”, resulting in the Newcastle fans getting “a reward for everything they gave”.
It’s easy to see why they keep doing this.
Both the Basques and Geordies have a proud local identity and a great passion for their football clubs.
Bilbao is also “a very British city”, in the words of Athletic fan Mikel Izaguirre, Julen’s father.
“You hear that comment all the time from different fans and different places,” the 72-year-old said.
“You can see it if you walk through the city and if you visit San Mames and watch an Athletic Bilbao match that it has a very strong British cultural influence.”
This effect, which can still be seen in the architecture in part of the city, is a product of the Industrial Revolution. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, British ships brought coal to Bilbao and returned with iron and steel.
Along came thousands of miners and engineers, many from the north-east of England, who brought with them one of the country’s greatest exports – football.
Meanwhile many students traveled in the other direction to study. When they returned, they had also caught the bug.
For this reason, when the club was founded, it was decided to use the English word “Athletic” in its name instead of the Spanish word “Atletico”.
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