Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta: A Milestone Match for Euskadi and Palestine

Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta celebrated his 32nd birthday this past August and boasts an extensive professional career. However, the Athletic Club midfielder still has aspirations to pursue. One such ambition is to play for the Euskadi national team, a dream that will be realized this Saturday at San Mamés. The Eibar native has been called up by coach Jagoba Arrasate for a historic match aimed at raising awareness and solidarity with Palestine. “Debuting with Euskadi is a dream, and playing for the Palestinian people makes it even more special,” he remarked.

The Euskadi national team’s schedule will not significantly disrupt Valverde’s plans for the week. Today, the team will engage in a recovery session, followed by a day of rest tomorrow. The players selected by Arrasate will train together a day before the match. During this initial week of the FIFA window, the coach plans to reduce the training load for those who will compete with the national team. Galarreta, a staple in the ideal lineup under Txingurri, returns from the break facing potential suspension, having received his fourth yellow card against Oviedo, leaving him one caution away from suspension.

Galarreta’s participation could be at risk due to an intense league schedule ahead. The team will face Barcelona on November 22, followed by a match against Levante the subsequent weekend, and then will confront Real Madrid (December 3) and Atlético Madrid (December 6) in quick succession. The midfielder averages a yellow card every 165 minutes of play, indicating that a fifth yellow could be imminent.

Galarreta has shared the pitch with young player Selton on two occasions, both times during matches for Athletic. In Newcastle, they came off the bench together, while they were both starters against Oviedo. “Selton’s arrival has been quite striking, especially considering his young age,” he commented before reflecting on their recent match against Oviedo. “His control and ability to break lines made it seem like it wasn’t his first time starting. That youthful audacity has helped us, and will continue to do so,” he added.