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Confidence Without Expectations
Tonight, I watched the Spain–France World Cup semi-final with my family. The kids and I had dinner in the living room and watched every minute of the build-up. Gary Neville, Roy Keane and the rest of the pundits analysed the game from every angle. By the time kick-off arrived, it almost sounded as though France…
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Singing I dry my tears
The morning before the World Cup in Brandenburg, I received a call from home. My cousin Trumoi had passed away that same morning. I said nothing to anyone at the competition. Not to the athletes. Not to the staff. There would be a right moment to grieve, but that moment was not there, not then,…
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Restoring the Soul of Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad has never just been a football club to me. It has been a thread running through my life, stitching together family, friendship, and identity. One of the Christmas presents I remember most vividly as a child was a season ticket. Not just any gift, but a passport to shared moments with my father…
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Not Playing ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’
This July will quietly mark twenty years since I stood on the beach in San Sebastián and watched Bob Dylan play live. Two decades. It feels strange to even write that. I remember the light more than anything, the way it faded slowly over the Cantabrian Sea, the sound carrying differently in the open air,…
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The fan in the stand: a lesson in leadership and loyalty
Football has a way of teaching you things that have nothing to do with football. Like my father did with me when we used to go to watch Real Sociedad play, I’ve made going to matches a tradition with my son. And over the past two weeks, we’ve been fortunate enough to watch our local…
EKAITZ SAIES 