Athletic Bilbao's Etxeberria promises to play season for free

Athletic Bilbao's veteran forward Joseba Etxeberria has vowed to repay the club he has been at for 13 years by playing his final season for free. The 31-year-old announced on Thursday (October 2) that he would retire from football at the end of the 2009 - 2010 campaign, and in an unprecedented move in the sport Etxeberria confirmed he would not be paid a salary for his final year at Athletic.

In today's world of football millionaires and mega-money transfers, Athletic Bilbao's Joseba Etxeberria made a heart-warming gesture to his Spanish club on Thursday by offering his services for free. Etxeberria said the unprecedented gesture was to repay the La Liga club and its fans for the affection they had shown him over the years.

"It's something I have been thinking about for some time and I spoke to the president to declare my intentions. My final contract was for this season and my dream was to play for 15 years for Athletic, which is a whole lifetime. And my last year as a professional and in football. I wanted to give my thanks to the club and repay all the affection that so many people have shown me over the years. I wanted to give this small gesture in thanks to the club, " Etxeberria said.