Rafael Alkorta is one of those players who belonged unmistakably to a place. Born in Bilbao in 1968, he rose through Athletic’s academy, played more than a decade for the club across two spells and later returned as sporting director.
He won 54 caps for Spain, appeared at three World Cups and a European Championship, and spent four seasons at Real Madrid, where he collected two La Liga titles.
Video of Alkorta's interview with English subtitles available at the bottom of this article.
Question: What does it mean, to you, to grow up and make your debut at Athletic?
"It’s the most incredible thing that can happen to you when you live in a city like Bilbao - playing for your team, with the philosophy we have. I think it’s every Bilbao kid’s dream: to make their debut for Athletic and enjoy a long career. I can’t even put into words what it means for a youngster to make his debut for Athletic."
What do you see for the future of Athletic?
"It’s getting harder and harder to rely on your own, on the Basque essence. But seasons like last year, when Athletic managed to qualify for the Champions League, give you a real boost. And that means suddenly everyone who could play for Athletic starts to feel that excitement again. Athletic are back up there - one year it’s the Europa League, another year the Champions League.
"I think we’ll be in Europe again this year. We’re going through a good spell, and that encourages the youngsters to dream, seeing that our philosophy, which is so hard to maintain, is thriving."
How did your move to Real Madrid come about?
"It’s an incredible story. Whenever a club like Madrid comes in for you, it’s amazing, because I never imagined Real Madrid would want to sign me. In fact, I wanted to play my whole career (with Athletic). However, certain events occurred that led me to Madrid.
"The dressing rooms are very similar. For four seasons at Madrid, I found the dressing room atmosphere to be fantastic, which was a surprise to me. Of course, I came from a very close-knit environment, where we all knew each other, and suddenly you go somewhere where you’re playing with foreign players. I’d never played with foreigners before."
Was it more like a family in Bilbao?
"Of course, it was supposed to be more like a family. But it’s true that when you go to Madrid, you find a super-professional dressing room, with incredible players, from whom I learned a lot. I have very fond memories. The atmosphere is different, for sure. Athletic is more like a family, but at Madrid I found some great players and great people."
How was your adaptation period?
"I was lucky because I’d gone to the 1990 World Cup in Italy and became friends with Emilio Butragueño, with Míchel, I knew Chendo... There were a few players who already knew me. Rafa Martín Vázquez, too... So my integration into the Madrid dressing room was pretty smooth.
"There were other players like Maqueda, who I’d played with at under-18 or under-16 levels. We more or less knew each other, and I had no trouble fitting into that dressing room, that environment, because I got on well with them and they really helped me and made it easy for me. Míchel was the biggest joker. He’d play all sorts of pranks, some light-hearted, some a bit over the top."
'Romário would get two or three chances but bury them'
Do you remember any particular Clásico? Or is there one that stands out in your mind?
"I obviously remember the first one I won, which was the Spanish Super Cup, which we took at the Nou Camp. And then, of course, that famous 5-0, when Romário did the ‘cola de vaca’ move. But I don’t really remember it, firstly because Romário was a genius, and secondly because what really hurt was that it was the first goal.
"That goal really hurt us. And when the match ended, I wasn’t even aware that someone would end up naming a move after it. In fact, I couldn’t even remember exactly how the move went. What I remembered was that we’d lost.
"In the return leg at the Bernabéu, I marked Romário differently. There have been strikers who made me work much harder. The thing with Romário was that he didn’t make you work much, because he’d only get two or three chances, but he’d put them away.
"And I always remember Lubo Penev. Marking him was torture for 90 minutes. Real torture, because he’d run into space, lose his marker, he’d hit you, you’d hit him, he’d push you, he was a guy who was a head and a half taller than me."
'Hierro is the best centre-back I’ve ever seen'
How did you and Fernando Hierro complement each other?
"Fernando and I were very good friends from when we met, I think at under-19 or under-21 levels. And I think we clicked straight away. We were different types of players, but that helped us sync up really well when I arrived at Madrid that first year, because I knew exactly what his strengths were and he knew mine.
"He was much better than I at bringing the ball out and in the air. I was quicker than him, so I’d often be the one to keep an eye out, depending on the striker we were up against. And we didn’t even need to talk about it - when we went out onto the pitch, we both knew our roles. I think sometimes you have to accept that you’re better at some things and not at others.
"For me, he’s undoubtedly the best centre-back I’ve ever seen. And I had to accept that I was playing alongside someone better than me. I think that was one of the reasons we worked so well together."
What memories do you have of Ronaldo Nazário?
"The best story I have is from a Clásico we won 2-0 at the Bernabéu in the league, and Fernando (Hierro) and I were playing. Ronaldo Nazário had three clear chances. And the next day, what we read in the papers was that Fernando and I, the centre-back pairing, had kept Ronaldo quiet.
"Fernando and I would look at each other and say: 'Look at that, we did everything right and even so, he still had three clear chances.' He was a monster. Ronaldo was a real monster, honestly. That’s the story, really. We must have done well, but we needed to do even better."
'Mbappé reminds me of Ronaldo'
How do you think he’d adapt to today’s game?
"With his qualities - his power, speed and technique... (Kylian) Mbappé reminds me a lot of Ronaldo in some ways, in that burst of pace, that acceleration, where he just leaves you behind, and you can’t catch him. You just can’t catch him. I think Mbappé still has a bit to go to reach Ronaldo’s level, but there are things about him that are starting to look suspiciously like the great Nazário."
You played in three World Cups and a European Championship with Spain. Which one stands out for you?
"The World Cup in the United States was really special, really good. In the first one, I just made my debut, played 12 minutes in Italy against Belgium, and the one in France was a disappointment for all of us, because we didn’t do well. But the one in the USA was a great World Cup. A World Cup where we just lacked that little something you sometimes need. I don’t know if you’d call it luck or not, but we were missing something.
"I’m not saying we could have won the World Cup, though maybe we could have, but we could definitely have gone a round or two further. We had a really good team, a really good coach, a strong mentality, and I think it was a team where a lot of different things came together really well."
Do you see Spain as the favourites for the 2026 World Cup?
"Without a doubt. First, because I think they play the best football, with the ball and, I’d even say, without it too. I think they know exactly what they have to do. They have a very good coach, Luis (de la Fuente). He’s known them all since they were kids, and right now I’d say that, along with Argentina and France, they’re the main contenders for the World Cup."
You were Míchel’s assistant at Marseille and Olympiacos. How do you remember those times?
"I learned a lot from Míchel, especially in terms of organising my work. Because I had to do certain things that were fundamental for him and for understanding, above all, the opposition. And I learned a lot there, also about having a different relationship with the players, often a bit closer than the head coach, because you’re also responsible for sorting things out by talking to them.
"Even so, I realised I wasn’t a coach because I didn’t have the same passion as Míchel. Or as, say, (Mikel) Arteta, (Pep) Guardiola, Xavi (Hernández). I think I was missing something to throw myself in 100% if I’d wanted to be a head coach. To put it another way, I was lacking something. And then I realised I preferred working behind the scenes to being out there, but I have great memories of both experiences."
Since you mention it, and as you’ve been sporting director at Athletic, what qualities does someone in that role need?
"You have to make very few mistakes, because there’s not much margin for error. You need a great scouting network, too. Here, I was lucky that I could only sign local players. But I also had to make sure none slipped through the net, which was, for me, mentally and personally, a very tough task. But a sporting director, I think, apart from having a good team, also needs to have a good rapport with the players. There must be players who, when they have a problem, feel comfortable coming up to your office and telling you how they feel at that moment. And you need to know what a team is."
'Deco threw a lad under the bus who was still at Athletic'
Q: What’s your take on the Nico Williams situation?
"First of all, I’m really happy he’s staying with us. That’s the best thing of all. And on a long contract too, which he fully deserves. Over the last two seasons, Barcelona haven’t been decisive. If you’re decisive, you get your man. If the lad agrees, which it seemed he did, according to the information we had. But they weren’t decisive last year or this year.
"And then, I didn’t like, or at least it’s not something I would have done, what Deco did. He’s Barça’s sporting director. He threw a lad under the bus who was still under contract at Athletic. So, for me, that was really surprising, knowing that Deco was a footballer himself and knows how tricky these situations can be.
"I think Nico’s representatives did the right thing by telling Barça: 'Fine, if you’ve got no problem with the lad, sign one of these clauses in the contract' and that’s it. And Barça said no because they knew they couldn’t guarantee it 100%. And that’s it, there’s no more to it than that. The question is: why didn’t Barça sign that clause? Because they knew they couldn’t be 100% sure of being able to play the lad from the first match of the season. The player and his representatives said they were staying here and that was that."