Athletic Bilbao

Athletic Club de Bilbao (Bilboko Athletic Kluba in Basque) is a Basque football club from Bilbao in Vizcaya. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since 1928. Of the founding members, only Athletic, Real Madrid, and FC Barcelona have never been relegated. Athletic are historically one of the most successful clubs in Spain. They have won La Liga on eight occasions and the Copa del Rey twenty four times.

They are known as the Rojiblancos because of their red and white striped shirts and as Los leones because their stadium was built near a church called San Mamés. Mamés was an early Christian thrown to the lions by the Romans. The lions refused to eat Mames and he was later made a saint.

The club is known for its cantera policy. This has gained Athletic both admirers and critics. The club has been praised for promoting home grown players and club loyalty. Critics however see the cantera policy as exclusivist and cite the cases of Jesus María Pereda, Miguel Jones and Benjamín. Basques, however, do not see it as a no-foreigners policy but as a pro-Basque policy and argue that the recruitment of Biurrun and Bixente Lizarazu are evidence that the club is far from xenophobic. They also cite the club's British origins, the use of Athletic in their name and the regular employment of foreign coaches as further proof that the club is far from parochial.

History

Bilbao FC, Athletic Club and Club Vizcaya

Football was introduced to Bilbao by two distinct groups of players, both with British connections. In the late 1800s Bilbao was a leading port at the heart of an important industrial area with iron mines and shipyards nearby. It was the driving force of the Spanish economy and as a result attracted many migrant workers. Among them were miners from the north-east of England, including Sunderland, and shipyard workers from Southampton and Portsmouth. In the early 1890s these workers came together and formed Bilbao Football Club.

Meanwhile, sons of the Basque educated classes had made the opposite journey and went to Britain to complete their studies in civil engineering and commerce. While in the United Kingdom these students developed an interest in football and on their return to Bilbao they began to arrange games with British workers. In 1898 students belonging to the Gymnasium Zamacois founded the Athletic Club, using the English spelling. In 1901 a meeting was held in the Cafe Garcia which established more formal rules and regulations.

In 1902 the two Bilbao clubs formed a combined team, known as Club Vizcaya , in the first Copa del Rey. They returned with the trophy after defeating FC Barcelona in the final. This would lead to the eventual merger of the two clubs as Athletic Club de Bilbao in 1903. In the same year Basque students also formed Athletic Club de Madrid. This club later evolved into Atlético Madrid. The club's foundation date is a subject of debate among football historians. The club itself declares 1898, but others claim 1901 is the true founding year. There is also a strong case for 1903.

Club Colours

Equally debated, is the origin of the club colours. Although their first colours were blue and white stripes, in 1910 they switched to red and white stripes. There are three schools of thought about why this occurred. The most common theory is that they were changed out of deference to Sunderland and Southampton. Another is that an Athletic member was sent to the Britain to buy a batch of blue and white tops but could not find any and returned with red and white tops instead. Perhaps the most credible theory, however, is that red and white striped tops were the cheapest stripes to make because the same combination was used to make bed mattresses. The left over cloth was easily converted into football shirts. Although both Athletic Bilbao and Atlético Madrid started out with blue and white stripes, the discovery of a cheaper option probably persuaded them to change. The Madrid club did it first and they became known as Los Colchoneros - the mattress makers.

Copa del Rey

The club featured prominently in early Copa del Rey competitions. Following the inaugural win by Club Vizcaya , the newly formed Athletic Bilbao won it again in 1903. In 1904 they were declared winners after their opponents failed to turn up. They were runners-up in 1903, 1904 and in 1907. In 1907 they revived the name Club Vizcaya after entering a combined team with Union Vizcaino. After a brief lull they won the competition again in 1911 and then won it three times in a row between 1914 and 1916. The star of this team was Pichichi, a prolific goalscorer who scored the very first goal in the San Mamés stadium, on August 21 1913 and a hat-trick in the 1915 final. Today the La Liga top-scorer is declared the Pichichi in his honour.

Basque nationalism

The development of cantera as a policy resulted from both a revival in Basque nationalism and the emergence of the Basque Country as a leader in the early development of Spanish football. The clubs success gave the Basques something to be proud of and supporting the club became a legitimate way of expressing Basque nationalism, especially during the Franco years. The club became closely identified with the EAJ-PNV, founded in 1895. Several prominent members of the EAJ-PNV where also Athletic members. Jose Antonio Aguirre, a distinguished player with the club in the 1920s and an EAJ-PNV member, became the first elected Basque president in 1936. All subsequent club presidents have been members of the EAJ-PNV. In the absence of a FIFA-recognised Basque national football team, Athletic is often regarded as an alternative.

In 1912 the last three foreign players left the club and the unofficial policy of cantera began. Initially it was suggested that only ethnically Basque players born in the Basque Country should be allowed to play, but this idea was quickly dropped to include any player born in the region. Ironically one of the main beneficiaries of the policy has been Spain. In the early 1920s the Basque Country was a breeding ground of great Spanish players. The influx of immigrants from all over Spain resulted in the region producing hundreds of quality players and cantera worked in their favour. In 1920 Spain entered a team in the Olympic Games. Of the 21 players in the squad, 14 were Basques. Athletic has provided more players for the national team then any other club, including Real Madrid.

The First La Liga

Athletic were not the only Basque team represented in the 1920 squad. Other clubs such as Real Unión, Arenas Club de Getxo and Real Sociedad also provided players. These four clubs were all founding members of La Liga in 1928 and by 1930 they were joined by CD Alaves. This meant that five of the ten clubs in the Primera Division of Spain’s national league were from the Basque Country. The saying Con cantera y afición, no hace falta importación, translated as With home-grown teams and supporters, there is no need for imports made sense during these early days.

El Bombín

In 1921 a new coach, Fred Pentland arrived from Racing Santander. In 1923 he led the club to victory in the Copa del Rey. He revolutionised the way Athletic played, favouring the short-passing game. In 1927 he left Athletic and coached Athletic Madrid, Real Oviedo and Spain. In 1929 he rejoined Athletic and he subsequently led Athletic to La Liga/Copa del Rey doubles in 1930 and 1931. The club won the Copa del Rey four times in a row between 1930 and 1933 and they were also La Liga runners-up in 1932 and 1933. In 1931 Athletic also defeated FC Barcelona 12-1, the latter’s worst ever defeat.

Atlético Bilbao

In the 1941 the club changed its name to Atlético Bilbao, following a decree issued by Franco, banning the use of non-Spanish language names. The same year also saw Zarra make his debut. Over the next thirteen seasons he went on to score 294 goals in all competitions for Atletico, plus another 20 for Spain in as many games. His 38 goals in the 1950/51 season still stands as a record. Another great player from this era was Panizo. In the 1943 the club won a La Liga/Copa del Generalisimo double and they subsequently retained the Copa del Rey in both 1944 and 1945.

During the early 1950s the club featured the legendary forward line of Zarra, Panizo, Rafa Iriondo, Venancio and Agustín Gaínza. They helped the club win another Copa del Generalisimo in 1950. The arrival of coach Fernando Daucik improved the club's fortunes further. He led the team to another double in 1956 and to further Copa del Generalisimo victories in 1955 and 1958. In 1956 the club also made their debut in the European Cup, eventually been knocked out by Manchester United.

What helped the club succeed in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s were the strict limits imposed on foreign players. In most cases clubs could only have three foreign players in its squad, meaning that at least eight local players had to play in every game. While Real Madrid and FC Barcelona circumnavigated these rules by playing dual citizens such as Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskás, José Santamaria and Ladislao Kubala, Athletic adhered strictly to their cantera policy, showing little or no flexibility. The 1960s, however were dominated by Real Madrid and Atlético Bilbao only had a single Copa del Rey win in 1969.

Like international teams, the club has used the grandparent rule, allowing the recruitment of some players of Basque descent. This enabled Barcelona-born Armando Merodio to play for the club. However during 1960s other players such as Jesus María Pereda, Miguel Jones, and José Eulogio Gárate were overlooked. Although none of them were Basques by birth, all three grew up in the Basque Country and could be classified as naturalised Basques. Gárate even had Basque parents.

On a positive note the 1960s saw the emergence of an Athletic legend José Ángel Iribar. The 1970s were not much better with only another single Copa del Rey win in 1973. In December 1976, before a game against Real Sociedad, Iribar and the Real captain Ignacio Kortabarria, carried out the Ikurriña, the Basque flag and placed it ceremonially on the centre-circle. This was the first public display of the flag since the death of Franco. In 1977 the club reached the UEFA Cup final, only losing on away goals to Juventus. By now the club had reverted to using the name Athletic Bilbao.

The Clemente Era

In 1981 the club appointed Javier Clemente as manager. He soon set about putting together one of the most successful Athletic Bilbao teams in the clubs history. Young players from the cantera such as Urkiaga, De Andres, Urtubi, Argote and Andoni Zubizarreta joined veterans Dani and Goikoetxea. In his first season in charge, Clemente led the team to 4th place in La Liga. In 1983 the club won La Liga and in 1984 they won a La Liga/Copa del Rey double. In 1985 and 1986 Athletic finished 3rd and 4th respectively. Clemente’s Athletic acquired notoriety for its aggressive style of play, personified by hard man Goikoetxea. He favoured two defensive midfielders playing in front of twin centre backs and a sweeper and as a result critics regarded his teams as dour but effective.

Athletic Bilbao has failed to win a major trophy since the success of the Clemente era. A succession of coaches including José Ángel Iribar, Howard Kendall, Jupp Heynckes and Javier Irureta and even a returning Clemente failed to reproduce his success.

The Fernandez Era

The most successful Athletic coach since Clemente has been Luis Fernández, appointed in 1996. In 1998 he led the club to 2nd in La Liga and UEFA Champions League qualification. Fernandez benefited from the club adopting a more flexible approach to the cantera. Now anybody could play for Athletic, just as long as they acquired their skills in the Basque Country. Thus Patxi Ferreira from Salamanca and Biurrun, a Brazilian-born player who immigrated to the region at a young age, played for the club in the late 1980s. Despite this new approach, their definition of a Basque is still open to interpretation, with both Roberto López Ufarte and Benjamín being overlooked despite having Basque parents.

The cantera was also expanded to include the French Basque provinces, La Rioja and Navarre. This change in policy enabled Fernandez to sign Bixente Lizarazu, the first French-born Basque to join the club, Ismael Urzáiz and José Mari. Athletic also began to recruit players from the canteras of other Basque clubs, leading to allegations of poaching. In 1995 Athletic signed Joseba Etxeberria from Real Sociedad, causing considerable bad feeling between the two clubs. Although Lizarazu left after one season, Urzaiz, José Mari and Etxeberria, were prominent members of the 1997/98 squad along with Rafael Alkorta, Julen Guerrero and Patxi Ferreira.

Recent Events

In recent seasons Athletic Bilbao have languished in mid-table and the club was embroiled in a relegation battle during the 2005-2006 season. Top-flight survival was ensured on the 37th match day when Deportivo de la Coruña were beaten at Riazor 2-1. Javier Clemente began his third spell as club coach in 2005, at a time when the club were last in the table. He is widely ackowledged to have brought defensive stability to the team, and so is also credited with having saved the club from relegation. Despite the lack of on-field success, a majority of the club's supporters think the club's identity is more important than winning trophies. According to an El Mundo survey in the 1990s, 76% of Athletic fans would rather see the club relegated than give up the cantera policy. The most successful Athletic team of recent times has been the women’s football team who have won the Superliga Femenina three times in a row between 2003 and 2005.

Trophies

Men’s Football

Spanish Champions:
- 1929-30, 1930-31, 1933-34, 1935-36, 1942-43, 1955-56, 1982-83, 1983-84: 8
Copa del Rey:
- 1902, 1903, 1904, 1910, 1911, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1921, 1923, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1950, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1969, 1973, 1984. 24
Campeonato Norte:
- 1913-14, 1914-15, 1915-16: 3
Campeonato de Vicaya:
- 1919-20, 1920-21, 1922-23, 1923-24, 1924-25, 1925-26, 1927-28, 1928-29, 1930-31, 1931-32, 1932-33, 1933-34, 1939-40: 13
Copa Vasca:
- 1934-35: 1
Supercopa de España:
- 1985: 1

Women’s Football

Superliga Femenina:
- 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05 : 3

4 Participations in the UEFA Champions League
16 Participations in the UEFA Cup
1 Participation in the Intertoto Cup
74 seasons in the La Liga

Current squad 2006/07

The numbers are established according to the official website:www.athletic-club.net and www.lfp.es

As of February 1 2006

Squad changes during 2006/07 season

In:

Sarriegi - Signed From Deportivo Alavés
Zubiaurre - Signed From Real Sociedad
Ibon Gutiérrez - Return From CD Numancia
Azkorra - Return From CD Numancia
Gabilondo - Signed From Real Sociedad
Javi Martinez - Signed From CA Osasuna
Alex Garcia - Signed From Racing B

Out:

Tarantino - On Loan To CD Numancia
Julen Guerrero - Retired
Azkorra - Transfered To Albacete Balompié
Lacruz - Transfered To RCD Espanyol

Statistics 2005/06

La Liga	Position	Pts	P	W	D	L	F	A
Athletic de Bilbao	13	42	38	10	12	15	37	45

Top Scores:
- Aduriz - 6 goals
- Etxeberría - 4 goals
- Prieto- 4 goals
Top Goalkeepers
- Lafuente - 20 goals In 19 Matchs
- Aranzubia - 25 goals In 18 Matchs

Stadium Information

Name - San Mamés Stadium
City - Bilbao
Capacity - 40,000
Inauguration - 1913
Pitch size - 103 x 68 m
Other Facilities: Lezama

Famous players

see also

Selected Coaches

Fred Pentland: 1921-1927, 1929-1933
Fernando Daucik: 1954-1957
Agustín Gaínza: 1964-1968
Ronnie Allen: 1968-1972
Milorad "Michel" Pavić: 1972-1974
Juan Urquizu
Javier Clemente: 1981-1986,1991-1992,2005-2006
José Ángel Iribar: 1986-1987
Howard Kendall: 1987-1989
Jupp Heynckes: 1992-1994, 2001-2003
Javier Irureta: 1994-1995
Luis Fernández: 1996-2000