Fulfill the wish that many fans have longed for for years- La Liga giants are bound for Celtic Park

Athletic Bilbao fans are looking forward to their friendly with Celtic on August 1.

A Testimonial Match for James Forrest with the bulk of the proceeds going to charity is the occasion as the Basque club return the compliment after Celtic played at the San Mames in 2010.

Athletic embrace their Basque heritage with the influx of English workers and are solely a football club unlike many clubs across Spain.

Traditionally they are one of the giants of Spanish football but the globalisation of the game has left them trailing to an extent with their main focus being to develop local players.

Celtic’s visit in 2010 for a friendly seemed to strike a chord with the Bilbao public with Billy McNeill honoured nine years later as a One Club Man.

Currently sitting in seventh place with three matches left to be played, retaining that position will book Athletic a place in next season’s UEFA Conference.

This morning Athletic announced:

This will be only the second time that both teams have met, since Celtic FC visited the old San Mamés in March 2011, in a friendly organized in favour of the Biscayan grassroots football.

That match in Bilbao is still alive in the collective memory of all Athletic fans who, together with a large representation of Bhoys supporters, created a magnificent festive atmosphere before, during and after the match. 

For all these reasons, added to other factors that make both clubs similar in matters of philosophy, tradition and history, next August’s friendly at ‘Paradise’ will fulfill the wish that many fans have longed for for years.