According to reports, Nico, who scored the decisive goal in the match, excitedly said: “Good evening. Enjoying San Mamés every weekend is fantastic.”

Athletic Bilbao advanced to the Europa League quarter-finals with a win over Rangers, and Nico, one of the team’s scorers, is eager to continue the competition and face Manchester United in the semi-finals.

He said: “Every child dreams of playing at Old Trafford, and I was no different. In the first leg at San Mamés, we will give our best performance to go there with strength and show the greatness of Athletic. Athletic has made history there before. This stage has no clear favorite. Manchester United is not in great form in the league, but they showed their capabilities against Lyon.”

The Athletic forward emphasized that reaching the final has long been the team’s goal: “This is our main goal, although we are progressing quietly. I hope we reach the final because the team deserves it. We want to go beyond the final.”

Nico, who scored with a header, praised De Marcos’ assist: “When such a golden pass comes, you can’t mess it up.”

He added, regarding rejecting Barcelona’s offer last summer: “I decided to stay. I am happy at Bilbao and dream of playing alongside my brother Iñaki. Playing with him feels different.”

Looking ahead, Nico said: “Our goal is to win the Europa League and play in the Champions League next year. We have many games in La Liga to secure fourth place.”

With Nico’s brilliance, Athletic confidently faces Real Madrid. About the upcoming match at the Bernabéu, he said cautiously but hopefully: “Real is Real. They are never weak and come with their best. But we go ambitiously to earn points.”