How long has it been since one of our own local talents was able to make a name for himself at Real Sociedad? The last Real Sociedad star, Antoine Griezmann, came to the Basque Country at a very young age, but ultimately didn't identify with the land, and the last home-grown star to come out of the region had to be pure-blooded Xabi Alonso, 22 years ago.
With so many good clubs in the Basque Country, not only the Basque trio of Real Sociedad, Athletic Bilbao and Alaves are competing with each other for talent, but also Elba.
As a result, compared to other Basque clubs, Real Sociedad has the highest level of enthusiasm in the Basque Country in terms of local youth training, and has produced many talented players in recent years since 2010. After Antoine Griezmann, the striker's wizard, Real Sociedad has been able to threaten to take the lead in both seasons.
European crown
A major contributor to the seat. That's right! He is Mikel Oyarzabal, the savior that the Royal Society has been waiting for five years.
Happy kicking.
Raised in a middle-class family, Oyarzabal was born in Elba, Basque Country, with the blood of the San Sebastian aristocracy in his veins, a
Spaniard
The most authentic Basque.
In the tradition of the beautiful city of San Sebastian, Oyarzabal's family is always full of happiness and smiles, and their optimistic attitude naturally influences Oyarzabal's attitude, and you'll see that he seldom gets into a fight on the court (although his collisions with other people are really few and far between), because it's no big deal!
Choosing to play soccer would normally be an impermissible decision in such a middle-class family, but open-minded father Ernesto and sister Christina will always support Oyarzabal in all the decisions he makes.
Did you think of the only thing the family asked for? Yes! Reading, Ernesto believes that all people in the family should be reasonably educated, and that education should be more than just reading books, combining movement and stillness is the best way to learn things. So don't be surprised that Oyarzabal has a degree from Deusto's business school, and he's a red belt in Taekwondo!
Who developed the talents of the now popular Spanish winger? We have to mention the Basque athlete German Andueza Berregi, who trained Oyarzabal in physical fitness and soccer, before he started to be associated with the Elba soccer team. In the end, the members of the family went from not knowing anything about soccer to being big fans of Elba, all for the sake of supporting Oyarzabal.
Growing up in a youth system where David Silva, Xabi Alonso, and other superstar seniors played, Oyarzabal grew older and sensed that the small team was not teaching him enough. At the age of 14, Oyarzabal left his hometown of Elba to join San Sebastian, a team with beautiful beaches and beautiful soccer.
Since joining the Real Sociedad academy in 2011, Oyarzabal has been virtually a Prince of Real Sociedad, apart from a brief loan spell at Eibar in the 13/14 season. In 2015 Oyarzabal finally met his mentor David Moyes, and on October 25th, the legendary Prince of the Underworld made his first-team debut, coming on as a substitute in a 4-0 win over Levante. By the end of the season, he had assumed the number 10, the symbol of the team's ace, and a new era was dawning for Real Sociedad.
His love for Real Sociedad must also be mentioned over here. The Basque duo have always wanted to absorb the best kids from the Basque Country, and the performance of Athletic Bilbao in the early 2010's was very strong, coupled with the special Basque rules of blood purity, Oyarzabal was simply Bilbao's dish of the day, and they visited Oyarzabal's home 3 times, comparable to Liu Bei's three visits. Unfortunately, unlike Zhu Geliang, Oyarzabal did not agree to a transfer.
Unfortunately, Moyes didn't lead Oyarzabal for long before returning to England, where he was replaced by coach Eusebio Sacristán, who continued to value Oyarzabal and kept him locked in a starting position. He also had the opportunity to make his debut for the Spanish national team at the age of 19, thanks to a number of good results.
