Every summer, in addition to the transfers and pre-season friendlies, the new football team kits generate great expectations and comments. Since the new shirt was leaked on a specialist website,...
Since the new shirt was leaked on a specialist website, fans have not stopped expressing their opinions on social networks, filling them with criticism, comments and memes. However, the reaction does not compare to what happened in the summer of 2004.
In June of that year, after the end of the season in which Athletic, under the direction of Ernesto Valverde, achieved an outstanding fifth place in the league and a place in European competitions, the club's board, led by Natxo Ugartetxe, decided to commission a special shirt for the UEFA Cup matches (now Europa League).
The design was commissioned to renowned artist Darío Urzay. Despite his prestigious career, his proposal was not well received by the red-and-white fans. Urzay replaced the traditional red vertical stripes with red paint stains that splashed a white background, quickly earning the shirt the nickname "ketchup".
The presentation of the shirt took place at the Museum of Fine Arts, and not in Ibaigane. The models were two Lezama players: Mikel Dañobeitia and Gontzal Pérez. Dañobeitia remembers that moment clearly: "I was going to the beach when my coach in the Division of Honor called me. The first team players were on vacation and he asked me to participate in the presentation. The shirt was surprising, but I liked it."
However, the general reception was very different. Dañobeitia smiles as he recalls: "Every year I receive photos from friends when other teams' extravagant or ugly shirts come out. I have it and I keep it with love." The life of the "ketchup" shirt was short. Athletic only played one match with it.
This only match was in Holland against Groningen, where the red-and-whites lost 3-2. Urzaiz and Joseba Etxeberria were Athletic's scorers in that match. Today, the shirt is on display at the Artium in Vitoria. Urzay remembers those days with mixed feelings: "They were intense days. I did what I had to do and it allowed me to meet interesting people."
Asked if he would repeat the experience, he firmly replied: "Not the same. I would do something else. I have had proposals for a reissue, but I have said no. It was what it was and it will end up being one of the most expensive shirts in the history of football."
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