Oyarzabal, the new great captain | OneFootball

Mikel Oyarzabal embodies Real Sociedad’s captaincy tradition, pairing elite performance with an unyielding defence of the badge. According to Diario Vasco, his leadership sits in a line where the role is true authority, not mere decoration.

The ikurriña on his left arm in Seville last night underlined that succession, from Luis Arconada to Asier Illarramendi. At Real Sociedad, only the captain wears the armband.

Arconada set the benchmark, blending supreme quality with fierce internal demands and an unflinching public defence of the club. His save from Quique Ramos, then the raised fist, became an emblem of leadership.

Captaincy is also resilience. Before glory, Arconada’s side lost an unbeaten league in Seville, then answered in Gijón, where Jesús Zamora wrote history as a captain without an armband.

The armband took on special status after Inaxio Kortabarria and José Ángel Iribar effectively legalised the ikurriña at Atotxa in 1976, though neither wore one. Earlier, contrasting bands were common, and in 1967 at Puertollano José Mari Martínez wore red.

In 2021, Illarramendi’s injury meant Oyarzabal captained on the pitch and scored the Copa winner, then passed him the ikurriña band for the ceremony. Since 2023/24 he has carried role and band, wearing the timeless No 10 of Zamora, De Pedro and Prieto.

Source: Diario Vasco