José Mari Bakero (63) is an iconic figure in Spanish football. A legend of Real Sociedad and Barcelona, with an impressive trophy collection, the Basque midfielder is regarded as one of the finest midfielders our football has produced. He recently sat down with Óliver Domínguez, Country Manager of Flashscore Spain, to discuss his career, among other topics, including a new book he has published.
**What can you tell us about this book?**
For some time now, I’ve been giving talks to companies, and I started organizing my life journey, both personal and professional. With a good friend, José Javier Torre, we began crafting a decalogue of processes and experiences I’ve had throughout my life—not just as a player, but from my childhood. These are the things I believe have been important and decisive for me, shaping my character or personality, however you want to call it. It turned into a book titled *’Mi próxima parada’* (My Next Stop), precisely because life is a long journey, and I hope this is my next stop—we’ll see if there are more ahead.
**The message you want to convey with the book is that there is always another stop or new challenges to take on. Take athletes, for instance, who often feel like everything turns dark when they stop competing, but then they must keep learning and seeking new goals.**
Exactly. Look, now, for example, with the celebrations of Real Sociedad’s Copa victory, I had a personal reflection: normally, when you win, you learn very few things because what you have to do—and what is right—is to enjoy. Really, you learn when you lose, when there is pain. In football, for instance, with injuries or moments when, for various reasons, you don’t play, a coach doesn’t trust you, or you go through mentally tough times.
I believe the axis of life is the person. That is, the better the individual, the better the group. And also, understanding the power of the mind over the body. When you’re young, you think you’re a good footballer because you have everything, but suddenly the mind appears with all its complexity—for good and for bad. So, working on that mental aspect is also fundamental.
**Is there a particular reason for releasing the book now?**
Well, because it’s Sant Jordi. We had it ready for a while, but Sant Jordi, here in Barcelona, is a special date. I live in Barcelona, so I’ll do a presentation here, then another in San Sebastián, and also in Madrid in June. But this project was already quite advanced; we’ve been working on it for about three and a half years. So, at some point, it had to come out, and this is a good date in Catalonia.
**His early years with the historic Real Sociedad**
You mentioned Real Sociedad’s celebrations. How did you experience their Copa final victory a few days ago?
Well, in the end, my initial family is Real Sociedad, and then, logically, there is my life and the family I created later. It’s like with siblings and parents—when you form your own family. Obviously, I know where I come from; from age 15 to 25, I built my entire football career at Real Sociedad, and that’s where I’m from. So, personally, I’m happy that they won, and especially that a team like Real Sociedad did it—a club that, after a very tough period, is recovering a lot of things, including youth development. The other day, for instance, they had up to 10 academy players starting or coming off the bench. Winning a title reinforces the message that you can truly compete. Because normally, Barça, Atlético Madrid, Villarreal are teams that are always a bit above due to budget and many other factors.
