Athletic Bilbao defender De Marcos signs off with emotional speech

The 36-year-old announced several months ago that he was hanging up his boots at the end of the campaign after 16 seasons and 572 first-team appearances. His record sees him as the outfield player with the most matches for the Basque club, with only goalkeeper Jose Angel Iribar ahead of him.

Sunday will see De Marcos play his 573rd and final game, but in a press conference held with current and former team-mates, the defender insisted he stuck by his decision to retire, reports Xinhua.

"I'm not here to say goodbye, I'm here to say 'thank you'. I'd been thinking about retiring for a while and I tried to find the best moment," he admitted, explaining that he had announced his decision previously because "I saw that the team could achieve important things, and as time went by, it would become less understandable that I wouldn't continue."

He highlighted the values of the club - which still only fields players born or brought up in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France - saying Athletic was "not just a name, a club, it's the tip of a huge iceberg where the most important thing is what you can't see. It's the loyalty of a people that goes with you, the fidelity that is not negotiable," said De Marcos.

His career saw him form part of the side that won last season's Copa del Rey after a 40-year wait, while this season Athletic will finish fourth in La Liga and play in next season's Champions League.

"I'm saying goodbye, but I'm not leaving completely. Even if your body leaves, you leave roots, and a part of me will always remain."

"I came here as a boy and now I'm a family man," said the defender, adding he was "leaving as the person I am now, because of what they taught me here."