Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola started their paths to the top at Antiguoko: 'If I really think about it, it's absolutely crazy'

Between a row of white apartment buildings and an artificial pitch set into the green hills of Berio in San Sebastian that Antiguoko now call home, there is a strip of land where Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola learned their craft.

"The centre circle was just over there," says Roberto Montiel, the club's long-serving coach and vice-president, as he takes a seat in what is now a public park. He rubs his thumb and forefinger together as he recalls the texture of the old playing surface.

"The pitch wasn't like the new one up there. It was smaller and made of small stones, like gravel. The balls weren't like the ones now either. When they got wet, they became heavy. You would slip and slide, and if you fell, you'd end up with a terrible scrape."