Athletic Bilbao head coach Ernesto Valverde signed a contract extension on Friday and attended the pre-match media conference before the final game of the 2024/25 La Liga season.  

Ernesto Valverde hopes to give the Athletic Bilbao fans at the San Mamés Stadium and Óscar de Marcos a memorable send-off to thank them for their outstanding contribution to the team's historic season.  

In the pre-match press conference, Ernesto Valverde said: "This is our last game of the season, the opponent is the defending champion, and we will bid farewell to Oscar de Marcos at home. I believe that this background is enough to inspire the fighting spirit of our entire team to win."  

“This is not just an ordinary game, but a match with special significance. We know that the atmosphere on the scene will be very enthusiastic, and we hope that the fans who come to watch the game can celebrate this moment with us.”  

“We will go all out to win, even though our opponent is one of the strongest teams in the league this season. It will be a tough challenge for us, but we hope to end the season on a high with a game that is worthy of our efforts and achievements over the past year.”  

Ernesto Valverde has signed a one-year contract extension, which will take him to 10 years as Athletic Bilbao head coach. "I want to wait until the end of the season and everything is settled before I make a decision," the head coach said of the agreement.  

"Whenever I sign a contract, I always say that what I want to do most is to see it through to completion, because it's a big challenge for a coach. We've been working together for nine years now and are looking forward to another year in the future. Everything is going well."  

"It's about moving forward and working to build a stronger team. Next season we will be playing in competitions with high intensity such as the Champions League. I've been there and I know how hard it is."  

Ernesto Valverde also expressed high praise for outgoing captain Oscar de Marcos, who is retiring after 16 seasons with Athletic Bilbao. He said: "I admire him very much both personally and professionally. It meant a lot to me to coach him because he has a unique personal style and he brings a different dynamic to the team."  

“He has been an important pillar of the team. Not only because his behavior on and off the court and the values he represents are exemplary, but also because he showed rare responsibility by announcing his retirement publicly at the age of 36. Oscar De Marcos has extraordinary physical and technical qualities, which have continued to improve over time, which has allowed him to perform at a high level throughout his career.”