Back in the summer, when the recently promoted Osasuna were building a squad for their return to La Liga, they sent videos to the players they were trying to persuade to join them. They didn’t have much money – only three teams have a smaller budget – and they didn’t have success to sell, either: the second division title is the only thing they have won, and they had just done that for the first time in 58 years. But they could offer something different.
When the tapes went out, sales pitches carefully edited in-house, they weren’t filled with 101 great goals, superb saves, or glorious games; instead, they were packed with people. The footage wasn’t of footballers; it was of fans. It was who they are.
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