Athletic Bilbao announced on its official website on Saturday that the club has extended the contracts of its midfielder Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta, defender Iñigo Lekue and head coach Ernesto Valverde.

According to Athletic Bilbao's official statement, Ruiz de Galarreta has signed on a new short-term two-year deal with the club which will only run until the summer of 2027; while Lekue and Valverde have both signed on a new short-term one-year deal with the club which will only run until the summer of 2026.

It is worth mentioning that following this contract extension, this also meant that Valverde will be coaching at San Mamés for 10 years.

After completing his contract extension procedures, Ruiz de Galarreta, who was interviewed by the Athletic Bilbao official website again, said: "Everything I have experienced since returning to this home has been great, and we are looking forward to everything that will happen next."

"Not long ago, I was playing in the Segunda División, and those days were also difficult, but I cherish them very much. Next season, I will hear the Champions League theme song at San Mamés, which I never thought of before."

Lekue said: "For me, this contract extension means a lot both professionally and personally. It's great to be able to continue to realize this dream."

"The competitiveness of this team this season is something I have never experienced before. Last season, we finally won the Copa del Rey after 40 years, eliminated Gabala, and returned to the European competition. This is really unforgettable. But in terms of the team's consistency, this year was the best season I have ever seen. "

Valverde said: "This is an important challenge for me, I feel a responsibility, with the team and the people who work here. When we work together, we are a strong team and we will see how far we can go. We must continue to compete, which is what Athletic Bilbao has always been good at. "

"The Champions League is very exciting. It is a very difficult competition and I hope we can all enjoy it. This is another height we must climb. "

About Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta

The 31-year-old Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta was born on August 6, 1993 in Eibar, Basque Autonomous Region, Spain. He is 1.75 meters tall and primarily plays as a center midfielder. He can play as a defensive midfielder or attacking midfielder.

Ruiz de Galarreta joined the Athletic Bilbao youth academy at the age of 10 and completed his Athletic Bilbao first-team debut by coming on as a substitute in December 2011.

From June 2013 to June 2016, Ruiz de Galarreta was loaned-out to Mirandes, Real Zaragoza and Leganes successively, helping the latter to be promoted to La Liga for the first time in the club's history.

After leaving the club when his contract expired in the summer of 2016, Ruiz de Galarreta moved to Numancia as a free agent.

Later, he played for Barcelona B and Las Palmas over the next two years.

In August 2019, Ruiz de Galarreta moved to Mallorca for €1 million, but was immediately loaned back to Las Palmas.

During his loan spell, Ruiz de Galarreta helped the club successfully win promotion and returned to La Liga.

After returning to the club following the end of his loan spell the following summer, Ruiz de Galarreta officially became a key player in Mallorca's first-team.

After leaving the club when his contract expired in the summer of 2023, Ruiz de Galarreta returned to Athletic Bilbao as a free agent.

Since returning to San Mamés, Ruiz de Galarreta has played 80 times for Athletic Bilbao in all competitions, scoring 1 goal, assisting 7 times, and winning the Copa del Rey once with the club.

About Iñigo Lekue

The 32-year-old Iñigo Lekue was born on May 4, 1993 in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. He is 1.8 meters tall and primarily plays as a right back, but can also play as a left back.

Lekue joined the youth training system of Danok Bat, a local non-league club in the Basque Country, since he was a child. In the summer of 2012, he moved to Basconia, a satellite club of Athletic Bilbao in the Tercera Division.

In August 2015, he completed his Athletic Bilbao first-team debut. Since then, Lekue has gradually established himself as a key player in the team.

Since his debut, Lekue has played 262 times for Athletic Bilbao in all competitions, scoring 4 goals, assisting 16 times, won the Copa del Rey twice and the Supercopa de España once with the club.

About Ernesto Valverde

Valverde, 61, was born on February 9, 1964 in Viandar de la Vera, Spain. He is 1.72 meters tall. He primarily played as a center forward during his playing career and has Basque ancestry.

Valverde played for Espanyol and Barcelona during his playing career, but he is Athletic Bilbao's club legend.

During his 6-year spell at San Mamés, Valverde played 188 times for Athletic Bilbao and scored 50 goals.

After retiring, Valverde served as the head coach of Athletic Bilbao twice, from 2003 to 2005 and from 2013 to 2017.

In May 2017, Valverde returned to Barcelona as their head coach.

During his three-year spell coaching at Camp Nou, although he had won the La Liga twice, the Copa del Rey once and the Supercopa de España once with Barça, he was sacked in January 2020 due to a serious decline in performances.

After two years of unemployment, Valverde officially returned in June 2022 and served as the head coach of Athletic Bilbao for the third time.

During all these years coaching at San Mamés, Valverde has coached the La Liga powerhouse in 451 games across all competitions so far, achieving 212 wins, 106 draws and 133 losses, with a win percentage of 46.14%. During which he has won the Copa del Rey once and the Supercopa de España once with the club, making him the head coach who have coached the most games in the club's history.