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92-514: Since 1912, Athletic Bilbao have employed a "cantera policy", which has come to be defined in an official (although not legally binding) signing policy whereby they will only recruit players with some link to the Basque Country . One of the main beneficiaries of the policy has been the Spain national team . Athletic has provided numerous players for it, second only to Real Madrid . During

184-485: A World Cup winner in 2010 , is also a product of Real Sociedad's youth system . Although Barcelona and Real Madrid are well known for regularly recruiting foreign players, both are renowned worldwide for producing local players. Along with Athletic Bilbao (see Bilbao Athletic ), both clubs have notable reserve teams ( Barcelona B and Real Madrid Castilla respectively) that are predominantly made up of Spanish players. Numerous senior players have graduated through

276-461: A double in 1943 and retained Copa del Generalísimo in both 1944 and 1945 . They helped the club win another Copa del Generalísimo and a Copa Eva Duarte (the official precedent of the Supercopa de España ) in 1950 . In 1954, coach Ferdinand Daučík retired the team of second historic attack and gave way to a new generation of players. Daučík managed to form a new champion team that won

368-421: A 1–0 scoreline. By that time, Aduriz had finally retired from playing, Garitano had been replaced as coach by Marcelino , and the 2020–21 Supercopa de España originally intended to follow the delayed cup final was contested, Athletic defeating Real Madrid then Barcelona to claim the trophy. They also defeated Levante in the semi-final of the 2020–21 Copa del Rey to reach the final on 17 April 2021, making them

460-447: A 1–1 draw in normal time and Extra time. The campaign included some memorable victories, including a 4–2 win against Barcelona at home and a 4–0 aggregate win over Atlético Madrid. Athletic's shield has incorporated the escutcheons of Bilbao and Biscay. From the shield of Bilbao, it takes the bridge and the church of San Anton , and the wolves from the powerful Haro family , who were lords of Biscay and founders of Bilbao in 1300. From

552-767: A deep interest in football, so when they returned they began to organize games with British workers at the Hippodrome of Lamiako , which at the time was the home of organized football in Biscay. In 1898, Juan Astorquia and 6 other Basque students belonging to the Gymnasium Zamacois, began to practice football in Lamiako. Three years later, in 1901, at a meeting held at the Café García , this group of football pioneers, now larger, began conversations to become

644-478: A fluid formation, where players can interchange positions quickly. In the youth academy, there is a large focus on technical ability, which is seen as a pre-requisite for inter-changes. An often-quoted reason for Barcelona's success is the continuity and commitment with which Barcelona follow the current philosophy of pass and move. Guardiola was the prototype of the pivotal midfielder; famous midfielders Xavi and Iniesta are its custodians. Another aspect of La Masia

736-631: A game against Real Sociedad, Iribar and Sociedad captain Inaxio Kortabarria carried out the Ikurriña (the Basque nationalist flag), and placed it ceremonially on the centre-circle – this was the first public display of the flag since the death of Francisco Franco . By then the Franco regime also ended and the club reverted to using the name Athletic . In 1977, the club reached the final of

828-520: A legalized official football club, which they called Athletic Club , using the English spelling. Luis Márquez became the club's first president , while Astorquia and Alfred Mills (the club's only foreign-born founder) were named the team's captain and vice-captain, but in 1902, Astorquia replaced Márquez as president, ruling from 1902 until 1903. Under his presidency, Athletic and their city rivals Bilbao Football Club reached an agreement to combine

920-483: A long history of signing players from the region, dating back to the acquisition of Félix Sesúmaga . Others have included Jesús Garay , Chus Pereda , José Ramón Alexanko , Javier Urruticoechea and, in more recent times, Santiago Ezquerro . During the 1980s and 1990s, Barcelona poached a number of top Basque players, among them José Mari Bakero, Txiki Begiristain , Andoni Zubizarreta , Julio Salinas and Ion Andoni Goikoetxea , enabling manager Johan Cruyff to build

1012-425: A match in which goalkeeper Carmelo had to play almost the entire match injured because substitutions did not exist at that time. The 1960s were dominated by Real Madrid, and Atlético went through a few years of transition in which the only figure that shone was goalkeeper José Ángel Iribar , who became one of the club's greatest legends along with Zarra. Due to the team's bad form, the fans used to constantly repeat

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1104-550: A period of institutional crisis and during that time it did not participate in the Copa del Rey. In 1920, with the return of Billy Barnes, Athletic once again participated in the national championship and in 1921 won the Copa del Rey again. The star of this team was Pichichi , a prolific goalscorer who scored the first goal at the San Mamés on 21 August 1913 and a hat-trick in the 1915 final . The last championship won by Pichichi

1196-2575: A product of the cantera , has recruited Luis García Sanz, Pepe Reina, Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres for Liverpool , while Mikel Arteta established himself at Everton . Luis García Sanz, Reina and Arteta all began their career at Barça; Alonso started out at Real Sociedad; and Torres developed in the Atlético system. Other important canteras are: Espanyol ( youth system ): Raúl Tamudo , Sergio , Joan Capdevila , Dani Jarque , Alberto Lopo , Javi Guerra , Sergio Sánchez , André Bikey , Enrique de Lucas , Tintín Márquez , Ricardo Zamora , Jordi Gómez , Albert Serrán , Miquel Soler , Bruno , Miguel Palanca , Coro , Daniel Solsona , Jordi Lardín , Joan Golobart , Víctor Ruiz , Raúl Baena , Dídac Vilà , Joan Tomàs , Miquel Robusté , Javi Márquez , Javier Chica , David García , Eric Bailly , Jordi Amat , Álvaro Vázquez , Jonathan Soriano , Jordi Xumetra and Ricardo Saprissa . Sevilla : Sergio Ramos , José Antonio Reyes , Antonio Puerta , Jesús Navas , Diego Capel , Lolo , Carlos Marchena , Alberto Moreno , Sergio Rico , Luis Alberto and Manolo Jiménez . Valencia : Jordi Alba , Juan Bernat , José Luis Gayà , Paco Alcácer , David Silva , Javi Navarro , David Albelda , Raúl Albiol , Pablo Hernández , Sisi , Jaime Gavilán , David Navarro , Vicente Guaita , Andrés Palop , José Molina , Miguel Ángel Angulo , Juan Sánchez , Gaizka Mendieta , Paco Camarasa , Javier Farinós and Fernando . Atlético Madrid : David de Gea , Abel Resino , Joel Robles , Roberto , Antonio López , Juan Manuel Ortiz , Ignacio Camacho , Mario Suárez , Ibrahima , Rubén Pérez , Mario , Javier Arizmendi , Manu , Diego Rivas , Iván Cuéllar , Gabi , Braulio , Juanma López , Roberto Solozábal , Tomás , Toni , Raúl , Juanito , Koke and Fernando Torres . Osasuna ( youth system ): José Ángel Ziganda , Ion Andoni Goikoetxea , Iñigo Larrainzar , José Mari , César Cruchaga , Javier López Vallejo , Santiago Ezquerro , Marí Lacruz , Patxi Puñal , Tiko , Pablo Orbaiz , David López , Javier Flaño , Miguel Flaño , Raúl García , Oier , Javi Martínez , Nacho Monreal , César Azpilicueta , Roberto Torres , Mikel Merino and Álex Berenguer . Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club ( Basque : Bilboko Athletic Kluba ; Spanish : Athletic Club de Bilbao ), commonly known abroad as Athletic Bilbao ( Spanish : Athletic de Bilbao ), or simply as Athletic domestically,

1288-460: A returning Clemente failed to reproduce his success. In 1998, coach Luis Fernández led the club to second in La Liga and UEFA Champions League qualification. Fernández benefited from the club adopting a more flexible approach to the cantera . In 1995, Athletic had signed Joseba Etxeberria from regional rivals Real Sociedad, causing considerable bad feeling between the two clubs. Etxeberria

1380-540: A rotation scheme with Barcelona B. The second stage involves making the player aware of his importance to the team and the expectation that the player will improve cohesion and performance within the reserve side. In the last stage, he is designated a "key" player of the B team and might be called to the first team. One of the players in the third phase is made captain, regardless of the experience of older players. The teams at Barcelona play from August to May; mild weather at La Masia allows players to train outdoors throughout

1472-570: A row between 1930 and 1933 and they were also La Liga runners-up in 1932 and 1933. In 1931, Athletic defeated Barcelona 12–1, the latter's worst defeat and the biggest win in LaLiga history. Athletic's success under English coaches continued with William Garbutt . His first season in Spain was a massive success as he managed to win the Liga that year. He had inherited a talented squad that included one of

1564-511: A section of red-and-white stripes and a section of local motifs, is from 1922; this was a really simple version which was adapted several times, some of which closely resembled the crest of Atlético Madrid , originally a branch of the Bilbao club. Finally, in 1941 the first version of the current shield was created, but the name "Atlético Bilbao" was used when General Francisco Franco outlawed all non-Spanish names during his fascist reign. In 1972,

1656-489: A system in which 15 scouts are deployed in Catalonia, 15 in the rest of Spain and 10 scattered throughout the world. To alleviate the expenses of this scouting, the club has an agreement with 15 local clubs for them to train players who are not ready for entry into the youth academy. In return, FC Barcelona gives money, coaching and technical advice to these clubs for their services. While expanding its operations abroad,

1748-552: Is FC Barcelona 's youth academy . It includes more than 300 young players and has been an instrumental factor in Barcelona's European success, and produces several world class players. It is widely considered to be one of the best academies in the world. In 2010 , La Masia became the first youth academy to have trained all three finalists for the Ballon d'Or in a single year: Lionel Messi , Andrés Iniesta and Xavi . La Masia

1840-535: Is Jon Uriarte. The board of the Athletic Club is composed of the following directors: Athletic began playing in an improvised white kit, but in the 1902–03 season, the club's first official strip became half-blue, half-white shirts similar to those worn by Blackburn Rovers , which were donated by Juan Moser. Later, a young student from Bilbao named Juan Elorduy, who was spending Christmas 1909 in London ,

1932-618: Is a professional football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country , Spain. They are known as Los Leones (The Lions) because their stadium was built near a church called San Mamés , which was named after Saint Mammes , an early Christian thrown to the lions by the Romans . Mammes pacified the lions and was later made a saint . The team plays its home matches at the San Mamés Stadium . Its home colours are red and white-striped shirts with black shorts. Athletic are

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2024-572: Is also the name of FC Barcelona's football training facilities, originally located near the Camp Nou in the Les Corts district of Barcelona . The original building itself was an ancient country residence (in Catalan , masia ) built in 1702, and once Camp Nou was inaugurated in 1957, the building was remodelled and extended for use as the club's social headquarters. With the gradual expansion of

2116-606: Is its marked Catalan national character—local talent in the service of a club with a strong, defining sense of the cultural make-up of Catalonia. In 2009, Messi became the first player from La Masia to be awarded with the Ballon d'Or prize for the best footballer in Europe, and the FIFA World Player award, for the best footballer in the world. In the next year , Messi would win the Ballon d'Or again, but La Masia became

2208-416: Is no need for import"), made sense during these early days. In 1922, a new English coach, Fred Pentland , arrived; 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, Pentland left Athletic but returned in 1929 and led the club to La Liga/Copa del Rey doubles in 1930 and 1931. The club won the Copa del Rey four times in

2300-500: Is one of three founding members of the Primera División that have never been relegated from the top division since its inception in 1929, the others being Real Madrid and Barcelona . These three clubs, along with Osasuna , are the only four professional clubs in Spain that are not sports corporations; instead they are owned and operated by club members. Athletic's main rivals are Real Sociedad , against whom it contests

2392-676: Is to sign players native to or trained in football in the greater Basque Country , which includes Biscay , Gipuzkoa , Álava and Navarre (in Spain), as well as Labourd , Soule and Lower Navarre (in France). Since 1912, Athletic has played exclusively with players meeting its own criteria to be deemed Basque. It has gained Athletic both admirers and critics. The club has been praised for promoting home grown players and club loyalty. The rule does not apply to coaching staff, with several examples of non-Basques both from Spain and abroad having coached

2484-425: The 1939–40 season . Athletic Club did not win the title again until 1943 and by that time Garbutt had been exiled. In 1941, the club was forced to change its name to Atlético Bilbao, following a decree issued by Franco , who also changed the name of the Copa del Rey to Copa del Generalísimo, in reference to his own figure. A year before Telmo Zarra made his debut, who became one of the club's great legends and

2576-573: The 2012 UEFA Europa League Final at the Arena Națională in Bucharest . They also reached the 2012 Copa del Rey Final , losing again to Barcelona. After star midfielder Javi Martínez moved to FC Bayern Munich , Athletic were eliminated from the 2012–13 Europa League group stage , and were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Basque club Eibar of the third tier . Relegation was a threat until

2668-460: The 2019–20 season saw more consistent results. After the first five games of the season, the Lions sat at the top of the table, their best start in 26 years. That form could not be maintained, and by the halfway point they had slipped to mid-table after several draws. However, in the Copa del Rey , they survived two penalty shootouts against second-tier opponents and then defeated Barcelona to reach

2760-472: The Basque derby , and Real Madrid, due to sporting and political identity ; a minor rivalry also exists with Barcelona due to historical significance . At various points in the club's history, further Basque league derbies have been contested against Alavés , Eibar and Osasuna. The club is known for its cantera policy of bringing young Basque players through the ranks, as well as recruiting players from other Basque clubs. Athletic's official policy

2852-417: The Basque flag (this was worn against Atlético Madrid in the 2012 UEFA Europa League final ). Between 2001 and 2009 Athletic also manufactured their own playing kit, under the brand 100% Athletic and utilising the small design from their centenary celebrations as a manufacturer's logo. Athletic were one of the last major clubs which did not have the logo of an official sponsor emblazoned on their kit. In

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2944-648: The Champions League with 11 home-grown players. The first team won the trophy in 2009 with eight home-grown players. From 1979 to 2009, 440 youngsters have left their homes and families to stay at the academy. About half of them were from Catalonia , and the rest came from other regions of the Kingdom of Spain and beyond, including 15 from Cameroon , 7 from Brazil, 5 from Senegal and 3 from Argentina. Of those 440, 40 made it into Barcelona's first team. La Masia houses about 60 players: 10 in

3036-516: The UEFA Cup after eliminating teams like AC Milan or FC Barcelona , among others, and only losing on away goals to Juventus . They also reached the Copa del Rey final, which they lost to Real Betis on penalties (Iribar missed the decisive one, which gave the Sevillians the victory), and reached third position in LaLiga. Despite these defeats, this is remembered as one of the best teams in

3128-879: The UEFA Cup and the Copa del Rey of 2004–05, the shirt sported the word " Euskadi " in green with sponsorship from the Basque Government . This policy was changed in 2008, when Athletic made a deal with the Biscay -based Petronor oil company to wear their logo in exchange for over €2 million. The Kutxabank logo now adorns the front of Athletic's kits. Pos. = Position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points Institutional information: Best positions Goals records La Masia La Masia de Can Planes , usually shortened to La Masia ( Catalan pronunciation: [lə məˈzi.ə] ; English: "The Farmhouse" ),

3220-472: The 2009–10 season, the B team qualified for the Segunda División again. Barcelona B play in a 4–3–3 formation , which is the same formation employed by the first team. "The player who has passed through La Masia has something different to the rest, it's a plus that only comes from having competed in a Barcelona shirt from the time you were a child." Former technical director Pep Segura attributes

3312-431: The 50 shirts bought by Elorduy, half were then sent to Atlético Madrid , where Elorduy was a committee member and a former player; it had originally begun as a youth branch of Athletic Bilbao. Before the switch, only one other team in Spain wore red and white: Sporting de Gijón , since 1905. Change colours have often been blue and/or white, or black. In 2011, Athletic released a green, white and red away kit inspired by

3404-424: The Bilbao native was sanctioned with 17 games without playing (although the match referee did not show him any card for this fact). In 1985 and 1986, Athletic finished third and fourth respectively. During the 1985–86 season Clemente was fired due to a bad relationship with the team's star, Sarabia. A succession of coaches that included José Ángel Iribar, Howard Kendall , Jupp Heynckes and Javier Irureta and even

3496-779: The Bilbao team won the match 2–0 with goals from Arieta and Mauri , and lifted the Cup in Chamartin Stadium. From that moment on, this was remembered as el equipo de los once aldeanos (en:  the team of eleven villagers ), since club president Enrique Guzmán shouted during the title celebration: "With eleven villagers, we have beaten them!" , in allusion to the club's tradition of playing only with players from its homeland. The classic team lineup was: Carmelo ; Orue , Garay , Canito ; Mauri , Maguregui , Marcaida ; Arteche , Arieta (whom they considered Zarra's successor), Uribe and Gaínza . Thanks to their league title triumph,

3588-497: The best players of both sides to form a team known as Club Bizcaya , which was created to compete in the Copa de la Coronación (forerunner of the Copa del Rey which officially began a year later) held in Madrid ; Bizcaya returned to Bilbao with the trophy after beating Joan Gamper 's FC Barcelona 2–1 in the final . On 24 March 1903, Bilbao FC and its associates were officially and definitively absorbed by Athletic Club. In

3680-412: The best strikers in the club's history, known as Primera delantera histórica ( en :  First historic attack ), formed by Lafuente , José Iraragorri , Bata (top scorer of LaLiga in 1930–31), Chirri II and Guillermo Gorostiza (top scorer of LaLiga in 1929-30 and 1931–32). Goalkeeper Gregorio Blasco also stood out, who was the most unbeaten goalie in LaLiga on three occasions. Garbutt promoted

3772-702: The cantera also include Iker Casillas , Álvaro Arbeloa , Esteban Granero , Raúl , Guti , Luis García Fernández , Juan Mata , Kiko Casilla , Borja Valero , Rubén de la Red , Dani Carvajal , Álvaro Negredo , Roberto Soldado , Rodrigo , Dani Parejo , José Callejón , Juanfran , Javi García , Álvaro Morata , Jesé and Lucas Vázquez . The club has also produced some notable managers, including Vicente del Bosque and Rafael Benítez . As well as producing players from their own regions, both clubs have also recruited young players from throughout Spain and internationally. Recent examples include Argentines Lionel Messi , Mauro Icardi and Esteban Cambiasso . Ever since

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3864-444: The canteras of other Basque clubs . In 1995, Athletic signed Joseba Etxeberria from Real Sociedad, causing considerable ill feeling between the two clubs. By the 1990s, the poaching of players took on a new dimension. Real Madrid in particular have regularly produced quality players unable to establish themselves with their home club. Some critics have argued that this has partly arisen because these clubs continue to use "imports" at

3956-744: The club added full colour to the design and recovered the original English "Athletic Club" name. In 2008, the shape of the shield was slightly altered and a new "Athletic Club" typeface was introduced. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. The current club president (elected in June 2022, following Aitor Elizegi )

4048-512: The club established five schools in Mexico and one in Egypt; successful applicants to these schools become full-time students, receiving academic education and football training. When Pep Guardiola re-organised the reserve side, he set up a three-staged program to formalise the advancement from Juvenil to Barcelona B and finally to the first team. The first stage of a youth player's career involves

4140-478: The club's success to its "philosophy of play": "It is about creating one philosophy, one mentality, from the bottom of the club to the top". The philosophy consists of the application of total football mixed with traditional Spanish one-touch play ( tiqui-taka ). The total football approach was derived from the Netherlands football team through Cruyff. The total football approach requires the players to move in

4232-536: The club, the building became too small for headquarters, and on 20 October 1979, La Masia was converted into a dormitory for young players from outside Barcelona. On 30 June 2011, the Masia building ceased housing the academy players. In a ceremony, the doors were closed and the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper took over the function of the residential centre for the players. La Masia de Can Planes

4324-409: The club; however, this approach (combined with something of a 'stockpiling' of players due to a transfer ban for breaching regulations regarding the signing of non- EU youth players) meant there was less opportunity for local academy graduates to appear with the first team, and a perception that the quality of players produced by Barcelona was not quite as high as the previous generation. Nevertheless,

4416-621: The double in 1956 and two other victories in the Copa del Generalísimo in 1955 and 1958 . The latter is remembered as one of the club's most important achievements, because Athletic managed to beat Di Stefano 's Real Madrid , which had just won the European Cup and LaLiga, and the Spanish federation also ignored Athletic's request to play in a neutral field and forced the final to be played in Chamartin (Real Madrid stadium). However,

4508-702: The early 1920s, the Basque Country was a breeding ground of great Spanish players. It was the first area where the sport really became popular, and the influx of immigrants from all over Spain was also a factor in the region producing dozens of quality players. In 1920, Spain made their international debut and entered a team in the Olympic Games . Of the 21 players in the squad, 14 were Basques, among them Pichichi , José María Belauste , Domingo Acedo and Félix Sesúmaga . Throughout their history, Athletic Bilbao have continued to produce many notable players while adhering to their policy. Among them were Telmo Zarra ,

4600-489: The early days of football in Spain , one issue for cantera clubs is the poaching or recruiting of their players by other clubs. After the cantera has trained a player, another club will step in with a tempting offer and take them away. The potential of the Basque Country as a recruiting ground for players was recognised by the likes of Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid early on. Barça, in particular, has

4692-469: The end of the season, and the final league game at the "old" San Mamés ended in defeat. Athletic would soon move to a new stadium, albeit in a partially completed state. Bielsa promoted young defender Aymeric Laporte into the side, while striker Fernando Llorente completed a free transfer to Juventus . After Bielsa, Ernesto Valverde returned for a second spell as manager, and he signed or brought through several new players as Athletic came fourth in

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4784-813: The expense of cantera players. As a result, many graduates of the canteras seek their fortune elsewhere and are willing to be poached. Initially, cantera players only moved to other Spanish clubs, but in more recent times, English Premier League clubs have begun recognizing the potential of the canteras. In 2003, Arsenal persuaded Cesc Fàbregas to leave Barcelona B with a much higher salary that Barcelona could not offer due to Spanish contractual law. More recently, teenage star Fran Mérida followed Fàbregas' footsteps and played some time for Arsenal's reserve team before returning to La Liga in 2010 with Atlético Madrid. Another emerging Barça B player, Gerard Piqué, subsequently signed for Manchester United , though he has since moved back to Barcelona. Since then, Rafael Benítez, himself

4876-422: The fabled Ajax Academy as football's foremost production line". The recent fame and success of La Masia as a talent school was ascribed by Ian Hawkey of The Times to the class of 1987, which featured prominent members such as Cesc Fàbregas , Lionel Messi , Gerard Piqué and Pedro . In 2000, Louis van Gaal , coach of Barcelona's first team, was widely ridiculed by the city sports media for his dream to win

4968-512: The farmhouse, and the rest in rooms of the adjacent stadium; the rest of the youth players must provide for their own accommodation. The academy is one of the most expensive in Europe, operating at a cost of £5 million a year. The main cost is the dormitory, La Masia itself. The minimum age requirement is six years old; each year, more than 1,000 boys from the ages of six to eight try out for admission. The best 200 are selected. The club also actively seeks for prospective students; it employs

5060-490: The first Copas del Rey in 1903 , both times under Juan Astorquia who was president and Captain. In 1904 , they were declared winners after their opponents failed to turn up. In 1907, they revived the name Club Vizcaya after entering a combined team with Union Vizcaino . After a brief lull, they won again in 1910 , with Luis Astorquia as the new captain and goalkeeper. In 1911, former team captain Alejandro de la Sota ,

5152-463: The first leg of the 2015 Supercopa de España at San Mamés, Athletic defeated Barcelona 4–0, with Aritz Aduriz scoring a hat-trick. In the return leg at Camp Nou , Athletic hung on with a 1–1 draw to win their first trophy since 1984. Aduriz finished with 36 goals in all competitions. Athletic advanced to the quarter-finals in the Europa League where they were only defeated on penalties by

5244-617: The first team. Despite the implications of the name 'Athletic Club' in English, and unlike some of the other major Spanish teams which have several departments, it is not a multi-sport club , participating only in football, although sections for cycling and other sports existed prior to the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s. Football was introduced to Bilbao by two distinct groups with British connections: British workers, and Basque students returning from schools in Britain. In

5336-488: The first youth academy to have trained all three finalists for in a single year: Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi . Spain won the 2010 FIFA World Cup with seven players from Barcelona in a World Cup final. Joachim Löw , coach of Germany , said after his side's defeat by Spain that the opposition had a distinct Barcelona style: "You can see it in every pass, how Spain plays is how Barcelona plays. They can hardly be beaten. They are extremely confident and very calm in

5428-555: The fourth most successful club in La Liga with eight titles to their name. In the table of Copa del Rey titles, Athletic is second only to Barcelona, having won it 24 times. It is also the most successful Basque football club in both league and cup titles won. The club also has one of the most successful women's teams in Spain, which has won five championships in the Primera División Femenina . The club

5520-683: The history of Athletic Bilbao, which included historical players of the club such as Iribar, Rojo, Guisasola , Alexanko , Goikoetxea , Irureta , Dani or Carlos (last player to win the Pichichi Trophy with the club). In 1981, Javier Clemente became manager. He put together one of the most successful teams in the club's history, the main lineup of this team was: Zubizarreta ; Urkiaga , Goikoetxea , Rocky Liceranzu , De la Fuente ; De Andrés , Sola , Urtubi ; Dani , Sarabia and Argote . In 1982–83 season, Athletic became LaLiga champion after surpassing Santillana 's Real Madrid in

5612-427: The holders and eventual repeat winners Sevilla FC . Valverde left his position at the end of the 2016–17 season after four years. It was confirmed that his successor would be former player José Ángel Ziganda , moving up from Bilbao Athletic. On 29 November the club suffered a shock defeat to SD Formentera in the domestic cup . At the conclusion of a poor season overall, Ziganda was dismissed and Eduardo Berizzo

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5704-525: The late 19th century, Bilbao was a leading industrial town, thus becoming the home to a large British colony, mainly made up of migrant workers, including shipyard workers and miners from the northeast of England, such as Southampton , Portsmouth , and Sunderland . Along with coal, they brought with them (as in so many other parts of the world) the game of football. Meanwhile, sons of the Basque educated classes, such as Juan Astorquia , went to Britain to complete their studies, and while there, they developed

5796-452: The league , meaning a UEFA Champions League campaign. Ander Herrera transferred to Manchester United for €36 million deal at the end of the season. Athletic had a triumphant first full-capacity match in the new San Mamés as they defeated Napoli to qualify for the Champions League group stage, however they could only finish 3rd in the group. Athletic reached the 2015 Copa del Rey Final , but once again lost to Barcelona, 3–1. In

5888-562: The legendary "Dream Team" around them. The successful Atlético Madrid teams of the 1960s also included a notable Basque presence in the form of Miguel Jones and José Eulogio Gárate , both recruited from Indautxu , and Javier Irureta , signed from Real Unión. Real Madrid has also regularly looked north for players such as Rafael Alkorta , Mikel Lasa , Aitor Karanka and Iván Campo . Athletic Bilbao, however, have also been regularly accused of poaching. The Athletic policy of recruiting only Basque-players has seen them frequently recruit from

5980-421: The most productive in Spain. Athletic were not the only club to have a cantera policy — fellow Basque club Real Sociedad operated a similar policy until 1989. Neither were Athletic the only Basque club that provided players for the 1920 Olympics squad. Real Sociedad , Real Unión and Arenas Club de Getxo also provided players. In 1928, these four clubs became founding members of La Liga, demonstrating further

6072-570: The only team to take part in the showpiece event twice in as many weeks; however, Athletic lost that final as well, to Barcelona by a 4–0 scoreline. In October 2021, a report from the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) showed that Athletic Bilbao and Desna Chernihiv (Ukraine) were the only teams in European continental competitions without foreign players.They ended the season on 10th place. The next two seasons saw

6164-475: The phrase Juegan Iribar y diez más ( en : Iribar and ten more are playing ). The situation improved when in 1969 Atlético won a Copa del Generalísimo and was runner-up in LaLiga in the 1969–70 season. The main stars of this team −in addition to Iribar− were the scorer Fidel Uriarte (winner of a Pichichi Trophy ) and the winger Txetxu Rojo . The 1970s were not much better, with only another single Copa del Generalísimo win in 1973 . In December 1976, before

6256-710: The ranks of Barcelona's La Masia academy, including Francisco Carrasco , Ramón Calderé , Guillermo Amor , Albert Ferrer , Pep Guardiola , Sergi , Iván de la Peña , Francesc Arnau , Óscar , Roger , Gabri , Gerard , Luis García Sanz , Oleguer , Pepe Reina , Thiago Motta , Fernando Navarro , Xavi , Cesc Fàbregas , Carles Puyol , Víctor Valdés , Mikel Arteta , Andrés Iniesta , Bojan , Jeffrén , Lionel Messi , Giovani dos Santos , Gerard Piqué , Sergio Busquets , Pedro , Cristian Tello , Thiago , Rafinha , Marc Bartra , Gerard Deulofeu and Sergi Roberto , though some of these were recruited from overseas before signing professional terms, so are not "home-grown" in

6348-522: The same results, narrowly missing out on the Europa Conference League by finishing in 8th and consecutive Copa del Rey Semi final exits although they did finish as Supercopa de Espanã Runners-up in the 2021–22 season, defeating Atlético Madrid and losing to Real Madrid. In the 2023–24 season however, saw Athletic Bilbao end their 40-year Copa del Rey drought by winning the 2023-24 Copa del Rey against RCD Mallorca 4–2 on penalties after

6440-425: The same year, Basque students also formed an affiliated team, Athletic Club Madrid , which later evolved into Atlético Madrid , after watching Athletic's epic triumph in the 1903 Copa del Rey Final . The club itself declares 1898 as its foundation date. The club featured prominently in early Copas del Rey. Following their triumph at the Copa de la Coronación by Club Bizcaya , the newly formed Athletic Bilbao won

6532-502: The semi-finals. The club then defeated Granada CF in the semi-final on away goals to meet local rivals Real Sociedad in the final – which was then postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain , both clubs happy to delay in the hope of supporters being able to attend the historic Basque derby occasion. This did not come to pass, and the final was eventually played in an empty stadium on 3 April 2021, Real Sociedad emerging winners by

6624-466: The shield of Biscay, it takes the Gernikako Arbola (Guernica's tree) and the cross of Saint Andrew ( saltires ). Its first documented use dates from 1922. The first official club crest was a blue circle surrounded by a belt with the letters A and C in the centre in white (as the club colours were at that point). The second was from 1910, consisting of a red-and-white flag (newly adopted as

6716-476: The shirt colours) with a red square in the top left corner, containing the initials of the club in white. The third, from 1913, involved the same flag, but in this case shown on a pole wrapped around a football (this is very similar to the Real Sociedad crest still in use today, ignoring the crown of royal patronage). The first version of the current crest, roughly an inverted triangular shield shape with

6808-529: The signing of previous La Masia graduates, such as Eric García , Oriol Romeu and Dani Olmo . La Masia has opened a Residence Academy in Arizona that leverage the same methods that La Masia does in Spain. Top players from the AZ academy are invited to Spain annually to visit La Masia. Many players from Barcelona's youth system go on to have careers in football, whether at Barcelona or at other clubs. The following

6900-470: The standings on the last round. The following year they won a LaLiga and Copa del Rey double. In that cup final they beat Maradona 's FC Barcelona 1–0; the Argentine player did not take the defeat well and attacked an Athletic player, which caused a brawl between both teams. Months earlier, Goikoetxea had injured Maradona after a hard tackle from behind, from which it took him several weeks to recover, and

6992-625: The strength in depth of the Basque canteras at the time. 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. The ability of the Basque Country to produce great players was made clear during the early 1980s when La Real and Athletic won four Liga titles in a row between 1981 and 1984 . The Real Sociedad team included, among others, Roberto López Ufarte , José Mari Bakero , Luis Arconada and Jesús María Zamora . Xabi Alonso ,

7084-511: The team continued to win trophies and some further canteranos did make a breakthrough into the squad, including Rafinha , Carles Aleñá and Sergi Roberto , the latter having to retrain as a right back due to the abundance of talent in his original midfield position. The return of Joan Laporta as president and Xavi as head coach marked the return of the preference for La Masia players, such as Gavi , Ansu Fati , Lamine Yamal , Alejandro Balde , Pau Cubarsí , Fermín López , Marc Casado and

7176-417: The team represented Spain in the 1956 Latin Cup , where they reached the final and lost to AC Milan by a score of 3–1. In the same year the club also made their debut in the European Cup , where they reached the quarterfinals after eliminating FC Porto and Ferenc Puskás 's Honvéd FC . They then beat Manchester United Busby Babes 5–3 at San Mamés Stadium , but were defeated 3–0 at Old Trafford , in

7268-723: The then all-time top La Liga goalscorer; José Ángel Iribar , 614 official matches with Athletic and a member of the Spain team when they won the European Championship in 1964; and Andoni Zubizarreta , who made a record 622 La Liga appearances and is also the second most capped Spanish international player. Other notable graduates of the Athletic cantera include Bata , Agustín Gaínza , José Luis Panizo , Andoni Goikoetxea , Julio Salinas , Julen Guerrero , Rafael Alkorta , Andoni Iraola , Fernando Llorente and Kepa Arrizabalaga . Their youth teams continue to be among

7360-464: The top Spanish scorer in the championship). During the 1940s and early 1950s, the club featured the legendary forward line formed by Rafa Iriondo , Venancio García , Telmo Zarra, José Luis Panizo and Agustín Gaínza , which was nicknamed Segunda delantera histórica (en:  Second historic attack ); midfielder Nando González and goalkeeper Raimundo Lezama (most unbeaten goalie in LaLiga on 1946-47 ) also stood out from this team. This squad won

7452-402: The top scorer in its history with 335 goals. He won six Pichichi Trophies for being the top scorer in LaLiga (a record only surpassed by Messi in 2020), and his 38 goals in the 1950–51 season stood as a record for 60 years. He was also the top scorer in LaLiga history since 1950 with 251 goals, until in 2014 he was surpassed by Lionel Messi and later by Cristiano Ronaldo (however, he is still

7544-547: The traditional sense, if in the technical sense. Similarly, numerous notable professional players have graduated Real Madrid's youth academy, known as La Fábrica (the factory) . In 1966, Madrid won the European Cup with a team of 11 Spanish players and a Spanish coach, marking the first time a home-born team had won the competition. Many great homegrown players have since passed through the ranks, among them La Quinta del Buitre — Emilio Butragueño , Manolo Sanchís , Martín Vazquéz , Míchel and Miguel Pardeza . Graduates of

7636-458: The way they circulate the ball." On 25 November 2012, for the first time, Barcelona fielded all eleven players that have come up through La Masia in a La Liga match. After Dani Alves was substituted by Martín Montoya due to an injury in the 13th minute, Barça played the next 60 minutes with Víctor Valdés , Montoya , Carles Puyol , Gerard Piqué , Jordi Alba , Sergio Busquets , Xavi , Iniesta , Cesc Fàbregas , Pedro , and Messi . In

7728-428: The year. The youth teams train after school; Barcelona B plays as a professional team, training in the morning and evening. All of the trainers at FC Barcelona are former professional footballers. Barcelona B , the club's main youth team, and the 12 other youth teams contained 24 coaches and more than 300 players. There are 56 other employees, including doctors, psychologists, nutritionists, cooks and physiologists. In

7820-512: The years immediately following this achievement, with those players aging and Barcelona seeking to maintain their position as one of the world's top clubs, they moved towards a more conventional recruitment strategy, signing some of the most talented players from around the globe for large transfer fees, such as Neymar , Luis Suárez and Philippe Coutinho , plus younger players (most with origins in Brazil and France) expected to improve further with

7912-447: The young Ángel Zubieta to the first team, a player who at 17 years of age went on to become the youngest ever to play for the Spanish national team at the time. In the final game of the season, the title was decided when Athletic defeated Oviedo 2–0 at home on 19 April 1936, winning the title just two points clear of Real Madrid. In July 1936, football halted due to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War . The league did not restart until

8004-566: Was a prominent member of the 1997–98 squad, along with Ismael Urzaiz and Julen Guerrero . The club narrowly avoided relegation during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, the latter being the worst in the club's history. In the Copa del Rey , they reached their first final in 24 years, losing 4–1 to Barcelona . Prior to the 2011–12 season , Athletic's new president, former player Josu Urrutia , brought in coach Marcelo Bielsa ; Athletic advanced to their first European final since 1977, losing 3–0 to Spanish rivals Atlético Madrid on 9 May in

8096-660: Was an old Catalan farmhouse, built in 1702. In 1979, it was first used by the club to house its young footballers who originated from outside Barcelona. The idea for the youth academy was proposed to Josep Lluís Núñez by Jaume Amat Murtra and Oriol Tort was put in charge of the facility. In 2011, it was announced that Barcelona would be moving all its football training activities to La Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper . La Masia received more publicity after Barcelona B's success with homegrown players; Rory Smith reported in The Daily Telegraph that La Masia "has replaced

8188-464: Was appointed. However, his spell was even less fruitful and in December 2018, having won just two of his fifteen matches at the helm and with the team in the relegation zone , Berizzo was dismissed. B-team coach Gaizka Garitano took over and oversaw an improvement in results, with the club moving well out of danger and narrowly missing out on a Europa League spot on the last day. The beginning of

8280-521: Was charged by the club to buy 25 new shirts, but was unable to find enough. Waiting for the ship back to Bilbao and empty handed, Elorduy realised that the colours of the local team Southampton matched the colours of the City of Bilbao, and bought 50 shirts to take with him. Upon arriving in Bilbao, the club's directors decided almost immediately to change the team's strip to the new colours, and since 1910, Athletic Club have played in red and white stripes. Of

8372-408: Was elected as the 7th president of the club, and he was the driving force behind the construction of the San Mamés Stadium (whose architect was Manuel María Smith), which opened in 1913 and soon become one of the symbols of Athletic's dominance in the 1910s, winning the Copa del Rey three times in a row between 1914 and 1916 , with Billy Barnes as coach. Between 1917 and 1919 the club went through

8464-643: Was the 1921 Copa del Rey, before dying aged just 29 in 1922. Today, the La Liga top-scorer is declared the Pichichi in his honour. Along with fellow Basque clubs such as Real Unión , Arenas Club de Getxo and Real Sociedad , Athletic was a founding member of La Liga in 1928 and by 1930 they were joined by CD Alavés ; five of the ten clubs in the Primera División were from the Basque Country. The saying " Con cantera y afición, no hace falta importación " ( en : "With home-grown teams and support, there

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