It’s only 18 months since Athletic Bilbao wowed Europe by totally out-manoeuvring Manchester United home and away in a Europa League title.
But as many people know that success began to be tarnished once the Basque club were comfortably beaten in the Europa League final by Atletico Madrid.
First the brilliant but volatile Marcelo Bielsa began to lose control of the dressing room, then Fernando Llorente decided he wanted to leave and results in 2012/13 started to falter.
That descent has been well documented and two of the protagonists - Bielsa and Llorente are gone.
But something else has disappeared, something iconic.
Spain oldest stadium the San Mames, colloquially known as La Catedral is no more after 100 years, with the club moving to the new 53,000-seater San Mames Barria next door to the old ground.
For a club that only purchases players born or trained in the Basque region – and one must add it is a brave philosophy - a new and modern stadium is vital to maximise revenue especially when an asset like Llorente can end up moving for free, as the Spain international did when he chose Juventus.
Fortunately they can also sell the likes of Javi Martinez for €40 million but the risk is always there.
Granted some of the atmosphere and tradition will be lost initially, but the extra 13,000 seats compared to the mythical former ground should allow for even more funds to be pumped into scouting, youth development and player contracts in the medium to long-term.
The new stadium in the foreground in front of the old San Mames and its famous arch
It is also vital given the unfair way that TV revenue is divided in Spain with Barcelona and Real Madrid getting the biggest slice of the pie. In 2011-12, the El Clasico duo received €140 million each in terms of TV revenue. Athletic Bilbao was one of the top 10 in the country when it came to TV revenue receipts but that amounted to just €17 million, a full €123 million less than the top two.
In those circumstances, self-sufficiency and prudent financial management becomes even more vital.
Significantly for the Basques the €210 million outlay was split between the club itself, Bilbao Biscay Savings Bank, The Council of Bizkaya, The Basque Regional Government and the City Council at a time of major recession in the Basque region and generally across Spain.
And most importantly Athletic Bilbao have little debt to speak of which means a stadium move was financially feasible unlike Valencia who we looked at in Euro Footy Focus back in July. They are mired in debt and stuck with two stadiums – one they cannot sell and another they cannot complete.
But the relatively debt free nature of Athletic Bilbao, that will make it easier for the Basques to rebuild on the pitch after a year to forget last season.
With Llorente, Martinez and Fernando Amorebieta disappearing into the dust alongside the old San Mames, new coach Ernesto Valverde has young talents like Iker Muniain, Mikel San Jose and Oscar De Marcos to build around.
But he also has the benefit of talented midfielder Beñat Extebarria who has returned to Bilbao after three successful years at Real Betis.
The benefits of the new stadium will probably not be felt for some time but there is a good chance that it will help Athletic Bilbao remain one of only three clubs to have never been relegated from La Liga. And all done with a loyalty to the local talent pool.
Athletic played their first home game of 2013/13 against Navarresse neighbours Osasuna in Real Sociedad's ground last night as final construction takes place on the San Mames Barria.
