When Ledley and Ossie brought a taste of White Hart Lane to Bilbao

Ledley King and Ossie Ardiles found themselves back on familiar ground when they touched down in Bilbao on Tuesday.

The iconic duo arrived in the city alongside fellow Club Ambassador Gary Mabbutt ahead of Wednesday night’s UEFA Europa League Final against Manchester United.

But it wasn’t the first time they’ve visited the region on Club duty.

Back in March, 2018, ex-captain Ledley and World Cup-winning midfielder Ossie came to Bilbao to showcase a documentary about our former stadium, White Hart Lane, at a prestigious film festival in the area.

The pair were in attendance as ‘The Lane’ was screened at the Thinking Football Film Festival, an annual event hosted by Athletic Club that shows films telling the story of the global social phenomenon that football has become over the last 100-plus years. Afterwards, the duo, who were joined by the documentary’s director Luke Mellows, took to the stage for a Q&A about the Club’s history.

Now, Ledley and Ossie are back in Bilbao along with legendary former skipper Gary for a very different reason – representing the Club in the build-up to Wednesday’s showpiece fixture at San Mames Stadium. Among other appearances, the trio will be in attendance at our fan park in the city ahead of the game.

“It’s nice to be back here, especially for a game of such huge importance and it’s great to be able to share the occasion with our supporters,” said Ledley. “It’s a beautiful city and I’m sure many of the fans will get a chance to explore it and see how nice it is.”