Muniain praises Athletic's human formation of its players

Muniain, now Salamanca manager, praised Athletic's human formation values after Simón's Ballon d'Or speech highlighted the club's player development philosophy.

Unai Simón's Ballon d'Or acceptance speech, in which the Athletic goalkeeper emphasised learning and human development over sporting achievement, has resonated widely. Iker Muniain, the former Athletic captain now managing Salamanca, took the opportunity at a Copa del Rey press conference to commend both Simón and the club's formation system.

Muniain, who spent 15 seasons and 560 matches at Athletic, highlighted the significance of the club's values in developing players as people. "The Athletic has great merit," he said. "The club's greatness is incalculable and it's a luxury to have a representative like Unai Simón in the eyes of the world." He also praised Spanish football's recent success across individual and collective awards, and extended personal congratulations to Luis de la Fuente, the Spain manager, whom he worked with during his time at Bilbao Athletic and in various Spanish national team categories.