Uku daga cikin shahararrun manajojin Premier League suna raba fiye da girmama juna — suna raba ƙuruciya ɗaya. Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso, da Andoni Iraola duk sun koyi wasan ƙwallon ƙafa tare a filin duwatsu a San Sebastian, suna wakiltar ƙaramin kulob na al'umma da ake kira Antiguoko Kirol Elkartea.

Watanni bakwai ne kawai ke tsakanin mafi tsufa, Alonso, da mafi ƙarami, Iraola. Ukun sun yi wasa tare a Antiguoko a farkon shekarun 1990. Wannan ba babbar makarantar horar da 'yan wasa ba ce — farfajiyoyi na siminti, kasafin kuɗi kaɗan, da sha'awar unguwa su ne alamominsa.

Yara uku, filin duwatsu ɗaya

Roberto Montiel, mataimakin shugaba da daraktan wasanni a Antiguoko, ya yi hira da BBC Sport game da abin da ya sa wannan zamanin ya zama na musamman. Ya ce: "Muna ƙaramin kulob na unguwa ne kawai; mun sami sa'a ta haɗuwa da tsara na 'yan wasa da ke da tarihi."

Montiel ya zana hotunan kowane manajin nan gaba yana yaro. "Andoni Iraola yaro ne mai kunya sosai amma mai hazaka mai ban mamaki. Mikel Arteta jagora ne tun dā, kamar yadda yake a yau. Xabi Alonso mai yin shiru ne sosai, amma a filin wasa ya kasance ɗan wasan kirki mai inganci."

Wata doka ta musamman game da rukunin shekaru a lokacin — wacce ta ba wa 'yan wasa da aka haifa bayan Agusta 1981 damar yin wasa tare da waɗanda aka haifa a 1982 — ta ba Alonso, Iraola, da Arteta damar hawa filin tare a wasannin da dama.

Daga San Sebastian zuwa kujerar manajoji na Premier League

Arteta, wanda yanzu yana shiga kakar wasansa ta bakwai a matsayin manaja na Arsenal bayan ya lashe taken, ya bar San Sebastian da farko yana matashi don shiga Barcelona. Ya rike alaƙarsa da Antiguoko, yana rokon Adidas — waɗanda suka ɗauke shi a matsayin jakadan takalmin wasa — da su ba kulob ɗin sabbin kayan wasa. Har yanzu yana ziyartar kulob ɗin kuma yana karɓar ma'aikatansu a arewacin London.

Alonso ya bi tafarkin mahaifinsa ɗan ƙasar Spain Periko Alonso ta hanyar shiga Real Sociedad. A hirar BBC Sport a shekara ta 2019, ya yi bayani yana cewa: "Mahaina ɗan wasa ne, daga baya ya zama manaja, don haka kullum nake da ƙarfin alaƙa da kulob ɗin. Na kasance ina zuwa filin wasa, sai daga baya sa'a ta same ni in buga wa ƙungiyar farko — wanda shi ne mafarki da ya zama gaskiya."

Iraola, a ikirarin kansa, bai kasance ɗan takarar bayyananniya don isa saman ba. "Damuwa ta kama ni lokacin da na koma Bilbao," ya shaida wa BBC Sport a farkon kakar da ta gabata. "Yana sa'a ɗaya daga gidana, na ji tsoron ba zan kai matakin yin wasa da waɗannan mutane ba." Amma tsofaffin malamansan suna tuna ɗan wasa wanda ya kware a asasin abin kuma ya dace da kowane matakin — daga ƙarshe ana ɗaukarsa a matsayin ɗaya daga cikin manyan 'yan wasan Athletic Club a tarihi.

Alonso yana fara aikinsa a matsayin manaja na Chelsea a lokaci guda da Iraola — wanda shi ma aka yi masa hira don wannan matsayi — ya karɓi ragamar Liverpool.

Kulob ɗin da ke yin fiye da iyawarsa

An kafa Antiguoko a shekara ta 1982, kadan kafin Gasar Cin Kofin Duniya a Spain, a lokacin da Real Sociedad da Athletic Club suke cin taken La Liga jere. Wannan cin nasarar Basque ya ƙarfafa kafa kulob ɗin a unguwar Berio mai yawan jama'a a San Sebastian.

Fiye da 'yan wasa 40 daga tsofaffin ɗalibai na Antiguoko sun buga a ɓangaren farko na Spain, ciki har da ɗan wasan da aka sani sosai na Athletic Club Aritz Aduriz — wanda shi ma wani ɓangare ne na wannan tsara ta musamman. Daga cikin nasarorin ƙungiyar matasa, Antiguoko sun doke Real Madrid 4-2 a shekara ta 1999 a wasan da ƙungiyar ta ƙunshi mai tsaro saurayi Iker Casillas, kuma sun kawar da Valencia da Celta Vigo a gasar kofin matasa.

A kakar da ta gabata, ƙungiyar su ta Ƙasa da Shekara 19 sun ƙare sama da Real Sociedad, Osasuna, da Alaves a gasar nasu — wani abin mamaki mai ban sha'awa ga kulob ɗin da kwanan nan ya zama ɗan kwararru na rabi kuma ya canza fagen wasan sa na siminti zuwa sama da matakin wucin gadi.

Manajan gaba ɗaya da kocin masu tsaro Gorka Azpeitia yana alfahari amma yana ganin kalubalen da ke gaba da haske. "Tsara ta musamman ce gaske. A lokacin, kulob ɗin ƙwararru ba su karɓi 'yan wasa da wuri kamar yadda suke yi yanzu. Hakan ya ba su damar zama tare a kulob ɗin na tsawon shekaru," ya ce. "Ina fatan ina kuskure, domin ba shakka ba saboda rashin ƙoƙari ba ne, amma zai yi wuya a sake yin tsara irin ta."

Tasirin Basque

Yankin Gipuzkoa wanda yake ɗauke da San Sebastian ya samar da tarin manyan kwararrun horarwa. Manajan Aston Villa Unai Emery, daraktan wasannin Villa Roberto Olabe, ɗan wasan tsakiya na Arsenal Martin Zubimendi, da tsoffin manajojin Premier League Julen Lopetegui da Javi Gracia duk sun fito daga wannan yankin. Tsohon mataimakin Pep Guardiola a Manchester City Juanma Lillo da tsohon daraktan wasanni Txiki Begiristain ma sun fito daga Basque Country.

Lokacin da aka tambaye shi a shekara ta 2024 kan dalilin da yasa manajoji da yawa na Basque ke zuwa Premier League, Arteta ya amsa da tsantsar gaskiyarsa ta yau da kullum: "Je, ka San Sebastian, ka dawo, sai ka yi mini wannan tambaya. Wataƙila sha'awa ce, abinci da ilimin da muka samu duka."

Montiel ya yi daidai da wannan ra'ayi: "Muna cikin al'umma mai ƙarfin al'adun wasanni, kuma mutanen Gipuzkoa masu gasa ne ta yanayi." Da harshen tsoho Euskara, rairayin yashi na zinariya, da mafi yawan taruwar gidajen abinci masu tauraron Michelin a duniya, San Sebastian tana ba da ƙasa wacce a bayyane take ƙirƙiro da masu nasara.