Another blatant ‘I was there post’ (& still recovering….
I spoke to many locals - great recommendations for restaurants, learnt a bit of Basque etc. The overwhelming majority wished us well and genuinely seemed to want Spurs to win. At the time I perhaps thought they were telling me what I wanted to hear but in hindsight I’d think it was genuine.
Plenty of anti-Man Utd graffiti in town (the park near the Guggenheim) along with anti Rangers and Roma (who I’m guessing had played in Bilbao this season).
Obviously, an outstanding trip for football reasons but glad I got to see the city. Reminded me of Newcastle
Funny you should mention Newcastle.
Late 90s I was in Bilbao, I had time to go to an afternoon game before the midnight bus back to Madrid.
Anyhow, this was the old San Mamés, there used to be little microbars all around the ground. I got there early, bought my ticket (vs Atleti, no question of who I'd be supporting). I went into the first of these little bars, got a beer and started talking to some lad. They thought I might be from Newcastle, they'd played them midweek. I told them no, I was Spurs, and then they told me what a huge time they'd had with the Geordies.
And so, as is the custom in the Basque Country, you go from bar to bar, in this case around the ground. More of their friends joined us, soon we were a gang. People I hadn't known ten minutes ago were buying me beers, giving me drugs. What a time we had. We circled the ground in these little bars, drinking little beers and the odd shot, as is the way. Then we got to their part of the ground, their end. They passed me on to their mates who were up the other end, where my ticket was for, and we all started again.
There's film (shown on Monday night Canal+) of the whole end doing the wanker sign (unknown here) after Kiko missed a sitter for Atleti, after I'd shown them it earlier. One of my proudest teaching moments.
By some way my best non-Tottenham football experience. Love the team, love the people and love their team.