The five moments that made legend of the Royal Society to Imanol Sheriff

The Real Sociedad and their fans would need a lot of time to thank Imanol Sheriff his performance at the head of the Donostiarra team. The coach took the team in a sea of ​​doubts after two dismissals -Eusebio first and later Garitano's -returned to Europe and made him champion of a Copa del Rey again. In Mundo Deportivo we reviewed the Oriotarra race in the eight seasons in which he has been coach of the Txuri Urdin team, having gone through moments of all kinds and overcoming a lot of obstacles, always pulling Zubieta and squeezing the talent of his players, who keep great memory of his coach.

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An unforgettable night at Santiago Bernabéu

On the night of February 6, 2020 in the Santiago Bernabéu He marked a before and after in the cycle of Imanol Alguacil at the head of the Royal Society. In the semifinals of the Copa del Rey, His team signed an unforgettable 3-4 against Real Madrid that unleashed euphoria throughout the environment Txuri Urdin. It was a memorable exhibition, without complexes, in which the Real imposed her game and eliminated the white team in her stadium.

Odegaard opened the scoring, Isak shone with two goals and an assistance, and Merino He put the brooch at a historic night for the club. That triumph not only meant the pass to the final, but consolidated the style and competitive nature of a team led by a coach convinced of his idea. The image of Imanol celebrating with rage and emotion the pass in the lawn of the Bernabéu symbolized the birth of an unforgettable stage. It was the first big blow of authority of his project And the perfect advance of the title that would arrive months later at the Sevillian stadium in La Cartuja

The Royal Society, champion of the Copa del Rey with Imanol 34 years later

On April 3, 2021, it will be recorded forever in the history of the Royal Society. In the stadium of The Cartuja And before Athletic Club, Imanol Sheriff took the Txuri Urdin team to conquer the Copa del Rey, ending a drought of titles that lasted since 1987. The game, tense and closed, decided with a lonely goal by Mikel Oyarzabal from the penalty point. But beyond the result, victory represented the culmination of a project based on identity, quarry and faith in a young and brave group.

Imanol's image with the scarf to the neck in the posterior press conference became a symbol of that success. The Guipuzcoan coach had not only achieved what many believed impossible, but had done so before the eternal rival, in a final postponed by the pandemic and loaded with meaning. It was his final consecration as the leader of a costumes to which he had given to his measure. That night, Imanol won an eternal place in the heart of the fans Txuri Urdin

A victory at the Camp Nou with a champions flavor

On May 20, 2023, on day 35 of LaLiga, the Real Sociedad signed an unforgettable victory in the Camp Nou when imposed by 1-2 al FC Barcelona. It was the first defeat of the Culés as premises throughout the championship, and the real, led by Imanol Sheriff, gave a coup of authority that definitively approached the dream of the Champions League. They marked Sorloth y Mikel Merino On a night where the Txuri Urdin knew how to suffer, compete and take advantage of their moments with absolute maturity. It was one of the most complete exhibitions of the team away from home under the command of coach Oriotarra.

Although the mathematical classification to the Champions It was not sealed up to two days later, in the Metropolitanthat victory in the champion's fief had an incalculable symbolic and emotional value. Not only did he break a historical streak at Camp Nou after 32 years without winning there, but confirmed that The Imanol project had reached its competitive maturity. It was the reflection of growth.

Europe does not forget the Royal Society

On the night of November 8, 2023, Anoeta lived one of its great European appointments with a Confundent triumph of the Royal Society 3-1 against Benfica. In just 21 minutes, the Imanol Sheriff team unleashed an offensive gale with goals from Merino, Oyarzabal and Brais Méndez, who left the game practically sentenced before the break. The stadium vibrated with an associative football exhibition, high pressure and personality against a European weight rival. It was one of the most resounding demonstrations of the Txuri Urdin team in the continental elite.

With that victory, the Real virtually sealed the pass to the round of 16 Champions League for the first time in 20 yearsstill of two days. Imanol Not only had he returned to the club to the maximum European competition, but he had done it with a recognizable and competitive style, competing from you to you with international tradition teams. That 3-1 was the consecration of a project that began to leave their mark in Europe

Imanol leaves but glory is eternal

He Last Imanol Sheriff match in Anoeta It wasn't just goodbye: it was an act of reciprocal love between a man and his people. In front of Girona, in a crazy duel that ended 3-2, the result went to the background as soon as the entire stadium stood up to pay tribute to those who have been much more than a coach. Imanol, who shouted so many times, celebrated and suffered on that bench, lived his farewell wrapped by his own, by an audience that did not applaud him for the titles, but on the way. For having made them feel that football, when it is authentic, it can be a form of truth.

There was no script that could match what was lived. A goal in the discount, an agonizing victory and the soul of Anoeta beating strong, as if each voice would like to retain a second more. In a time where everything happens quickly, he leaves something that does not expire: a legacy of belonging, passion and fidelity to colors. It goes as it came: With the shirt placed inside and the heart out, excited and exciting its people. Will be eternal