- Commissioner’s statement on Ventura, Marte
- Ronnie O’Sullivan: Masters champion ‘felt so vulnerable’ in final
- Arron Fletcher Wins 2017 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event ($140,224)
- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Braves land 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Kingery makes MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- New Zealand wrap up 2-0 after Bangladesh implosion
- Mathews, Pradeep, Gunathilaka to return to Sri Lanka
- Elliott hopes for rain for Poli
Toquero back in Bilbao
- Updated: January 6, 2017
As Gaizka Toquero prepares to face Athletic Bilbao at San Mames on Sunday, find out why the Alaves striker is a cult hero there…
The balding and slightly ungainly figure of Gaizka Toquero is not the most talented player to don the famous Athletic Bilbao shirt. Far from it in fact. Nor is he the man among the Alaves squad who the home side will fear most when he returns to San Mames on Sunday.
He is not Alaves’s top scorer, that’s the Brazilian forward Deyverson. Toquero, meanwhile, has netted only once this season. He is not their key man, that’s perhaps Real Madrid loanee Marcos Llorente. Indeed, he cannot be assured of a place in the visitors’ starting line-up.
Toquero is not even the most talented ex-Athletic player making his return to the cathedral. That honour must go to Ibai Gomez, a popular figure with supporters there in his own right after making more than 100 La Liga appearances in his six seasons in the Basque capital.
But it is Toquero who will be assured the most rapturous of receptions should he get a run out at the stadium where he’s so adored. Athletic supporters see him as the embodiment of the dream. He’s the fan turned player who got to live out their fantasies like no other.
With arms and legs pumping, it wasn’t always pretty. In truth, it was never pretty. But it could be effective. Most notably, having scored against Sevilla in the semi-final, there was his opener …
