The author of this book, whose knowledge of the Bilbain club goes back to the nineties thanks to the figure of Jupp Heynckes, who managed the Lions during a first stint between 1992 and 1994, then returned to the San Mamés bench between 2001 and 2003, explores the history of Athletic through a series of reports based on international sources and highlighting protagonists surprising. What is the origin of the red and white jersey? What was the legendary Franz Beckenbauer doing while dropping his pants in San Mamés? How is Athletic experienced in official supporters’ clubs around the world?
These are just a few questions with international answers that illustrate a book that Segbers began writing in February this year, his interest in Athletic having intensified since arriving in Gasteiz for work in 2005, when ” a roommate, a big Athletic fan, aroused my curiosity to know the club in depth.” It was by writing his first book between 2021 and 2022 that Segbers, who currently lives in Miranda de Ebro with his wife and two children while writing about Basque football in general and Athletic in particular for German and Austrian magazines , realized that “there are many aspects of the Athletic story that have not yet been told, given its wealth of content.”
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He adds: “There remained many unexplored facets, especially on an international level, and I found it interesting to write down what the referee, the public, a rival coach or an opposing player might think.” The German author emphasizes that “this second book aims to tell the international history of Athletic in a different way.” “If Athletic fans want something different and are interested in aspects not usually associated with the club, I invite them to read it because I think they will be surprised. Even if they know the history well from the Athletic, I dare say that in 30 of the 39 stories, they will discover something that they did not know,” assures Segbers while presenting one of the many stories told in his book.
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“Among these stories there are many that I like, and one of them is what I discovered about the Hungarian coach Lippo Hertzka, who managed Athletic between 1926 and 1928 after juggling between his previous work at Real Sociedad and that of a journalist He was a man who, while coaching Real, went to Bilbao to watch Athletic and wrote accounts. match reports for German magazines. He also wrote very nice articles on Athletic matches,” reveals Segbers, who adds that “I was also able to speak to the widow of the Austrian Helmut Senekowitsch, who directed. The Athletic between 1979 and 1981, providing a very interesting perspective on what she knew.”
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The book “Nuestro Athletic por el mundo” is “not the typical book that says Athletic is the best, because the people of Bilbao already know that without a German needing to tell them. This book reminds certain exploits, but also defeats and perhaps less positive aspects of the club,” underlines Segbers, who insists that in his case, “he wanted to offer something different from what already existed on the market, and of there were born these 39 stories that I tell with international points of view, because that is where I can contribute the most and where I have credibility, because thanks to languages I was able to search in archives in Germany or the UK and I’ve spoken to many people.”
In line with the news of Athletic, whose philosophy he admires which distinguishes them from “all the other teams in the world,” Segbers’ last publication under a red and white light dates from April 11, when the gabarra was sailed again in the estuary forty years later. “I went to Bilbao and an emotional article came out explaining to Germany what it means to be an integral part of Athletic for their people and the Cup title they had won,” he said proudly. author of “Nuestro Athletic por el mundo”.
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