Confusingly Called The Basque

The Guardian Unlimited published a note called "The secret of Osasuna's success" about the soccer team Osasuna de Pamplona the current leader in Spain's premier league, and specially about its coach, Javier "El Vasco" Aguirre Onaindia:

Here you have a portion of it that contains a not surprisingly statement by the author that could be considered either pure ignorance or idiotic bias, read on:

What does a Mexican have below his carpet? Underlay, underlay.

And what does a Mexican have below his football team? The rest of the Spanish league.

Well, he does if his name is Javier Aguirre anyway. Sidekick to the second best World Cup goal ever, scored by Negrete for the hosts in '86, the Mexican they confusingly call The Basque (because of his grandparents) has taken Club Atlético Osasuna to top spot in La Liga, two points clear of Barcelona and three ahead of Real Madrid - their greatest start in nearly 90 years of history. Not bad for a team expected to be fighting off relegation. No wonder the Diario de Navarra beamed: "What joy!"

Ahem, confusingly call The Basque?

What is so confusing about it?

With last names like Aguirre Onaindia what else can you be? Pakistani?

Javier Aguirre is called The Basque for one simple reason, that is what he is. He is Mexican and proud of it, and he is Basque because that is where his family is from.

There is thousands of people around the world that are as proud of their nationality as Javier Aguirre is of being Mexican that know that they are also members of the Basque diaspora.

He was born in Mexico, he loves Mexican food, he listens Mexican music, bottom line, after several years in Spain he still speaks with his Mexican accent, unlike Hugo Sanchez for example.

But the article begs another question, does the author even know that Osasuna is a Basque team? Does he know that osasuna is actually the Euskera (Basque language) word for health?

Does he know that Pamplona is actually called Iruña (or Iruñea)?

Does he know that what he calls Navarre is actually called Nafarroa, a Basque province among the seven that constitute the Basque nation?

I bet he doesn't, despite the fact that his article is full of last names like Aguirre, Amorrortu, Cruchaga.

Blissful ignorance.

Good thing this blog exists to set the record straight.

ps. Hopefully the Maradona goal against England were he moped the field with six or seven English players is considered the best goal ever in a World Cup, because in my humble opinion, that is the only goal that one can consider better than the one by Manolo Negrete.

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