San Mames hosts the Basque festival of football

The journalists and winners of the contest organised by VIASAT, the LaLiga broadcaster in Scandinavian countries, will never forget their weekend in Bilbao.

Why are Athletic's players nicknamed Los Leones? What does gabarra mean? What are pintxos? All of these questions and more were answered for our guests.

San Mames did not let us down. The visit to its recently opened museum and experiencing what it feels like for a player to walk out onto the pitch are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Furthermore, Athletic Women players Garazi Murua and Damaris Egurrola accompanied the group on their tour while giving their take on the stratospheric rise of women's football.

They also had the chance to get to know the city's main tourist attractions, such as the Guggenheim, and soak up the impressive atmosphere in the run-up to the clash in the company of both sets of fans.

The big moment came when, with just minutes to go before the match kicked off, the lucky winners went down to the pitch to watch the two teams warming up, standing just metres away from their idols. Before that, two club legends in the form of Angel Iribar and Jose Maria Argoitia had given them a warm welcome and presented them with a memento of their experience.

Not many nil-nils are as exciting as this Basque derby was. The participants in this edition of the LaLiga Santander Experience know it to be true, and head home with some wonderful memories stored away.