He ran up the stairs. He shook the hand of a congratulatory Casemiro. He entered the Bernabéu’s empty away dressing room. He crouched down. He put his hands over his face. He screamed. “Hostiaaaaa!!!!!”

The Spanish word doesn’t really have an English translation, but it doesn’t matter. Even a member of an uncontacted Amazon tribe could’ve worked out by now that Real Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil was the happiest man in Madrid.

It was February 6th and Real Sociedad had just knocked Real Madrid out of the Copa del Rey on the road, edging a seven-goal thriller 4-3. They were into the semi-finals, and even though they didn’t fully know it at the time, were on their way to their first cup final since 1988, with a chance to win their first piece of silverware since 1987. Standing in their way? Their Basque rivals, Athletic Club Bilbao.

However, the story of Real Sociedad’s 2019/20 season is much more than the story of a cup run. The trip to the final, which will be played in Seville, is the cherry on top of a perfectly constructed cake. There is so much to admire about Real Sociedad right now as you look down the layers.

For the fans of the Txuri-Urdin – the White and Blues in English – the most significant change that president Jokin Aperribay’s board have overseen has been at the stadium.

Anoeta has been the home of the San Sebastián club since 1993, but the running track did what running tacks do by creating a barrier between the fans and the action. A running tack can have the same effect on a football club as a garrote can on a human neck.