After 23 rounds, Bilbao is only 6 points behind the leaders, marking the smallest point gap at this stage in La Liga in the past 23 years

On February 9, in La Liga's 23rd round, Athletic Bilbao achieved a convincing 3-0 victory at home against Girona, while league leaders Real Madrid drew 1-1 with second-placed Atletico Madrid.

As a result, with both teams having played 23 matches, Athletic Bilbao is now only 6 points behind Real Madrid at the top of the table.

This season marks the smallest point gap between Bilbao and the league leaders after 23 rounds since the 2001-02 season.

However, in the last three months of that season, Bilbao ultimately faltered, finishing the last 15 matches with just 4 wins, 3 draws, and 8 losses. This poor performance included a 1-6 home defeat to Celta and a 2-5 away loss to Villarreal, leaving them in 9th place at the end of the season.