Why does Athletic Bilbao only sign players of Basque origin?

Has a football fan ever heard of Athletic Bilbaoone of the biggest clubs in Spain. But what many don’t know is that the team has a philosophy that is complicated to put into practice today, especially with the globalization of the sport: not hiring foreigners. The ‘Euskal Herria’ player appreciation policy, the Basque countryhas brought many glories to the team to this day, in addition to never having been relegated, along with Barcelona It is Real Madrid.

All the players in the club’s current squad were born or trained in the lower categories of Basque clubs. This is the club’s determining principle, in which ownership is the very basis, and something that, according to the team itself, differentiates it from “any other philosophy or way of understanding football in the world”.

Of the current group, 26 players are created from the autonomous community’s club base, 21 of which trained in Bilbao itself. The goalkeeper Unia Simon, for example, arrived there when he was 14 years old. The attacker Nico Williamsat 10.

“We maintain the essence of the founders. It’s been 125 years of competing and being true to our identity. It’s a natural decision, there’s nothing written in the statute, it’s not a rule. We are patient, but it is important to win. The model is only successful and credible if you compete and win.”stated Jon Berasategigeneral director of Athletic Bilbao.

Identity and tradition

Athletic Club, as it is called in Spain, was founded in 1898, by British and natives of the city of Bilbao. In the first decade, French and English occupied the cast. The unwritten rule of relying only on local athletes only began in 1911, after the popularization of football in the region and the board’s desire to have Basque representatives. Philosophy gained new weight during the general’s dictatorship Francisco Franco (between the years 1939 and 1975), and the team became a symbol of Basque nationalism.

NOUVEAU : Athletic Bilbao 1898-2020: A club identitaire basque à l’heure du football hypercapitaliste et mondialisé
pair Antonio Camacho aux Editions Sydney Laurenthttps://t.co/bJbp1DFz6wpic.twitter.com/LdkXVOXzpd

— Livres de Foot (@FootLivres) June 15, 2020

The Basque Country is located between the north of Spain and the south of France, has just over two million inhabitants and has a people with more than four thousand years of history. “I consider it a unique philosophy in our time, and this achievement gave Athletic a social and football identity. Furthermore, it generated supporters all over the world.”stated Angel IturriagaHistory professor who published the book “Dictionary of Athletic Club Players” in 2017.

There were very few non-Spanish players by birth who wore the club’s shirt: less than 10. The only Brazilian to set foot there was the goalkeeper Vicente Biurrun, who was born in São Paulo and moved to the Basque Country when he was four years old. The archer was there between 1986 and 1990.

Born in São Paulo exactly 60 years ago, goalkeeper Vicente Biurrun was the son of Spanish parents and made his career in his parents’ homeland.

With Real Sociedad, he was Spanish champion in 81-82 and also played for Espanyol, Athletic Bilbao and Osasuña. pic.twitter.com/ZJOw6Rl1TC

— Protofutebol (@protofutebol) September 1, 2019

Base: enviable CT and network of 175 teams

To guarantee good ‘human material’ for the professional squad, Bilbao currently has an investment of €10 million (around R$55.7 million) per year in the youth categories. In the last 10 years, it has been more than €30 million. They are located in the city of Lezama, which names the Training Center, about 15 kilometers from Bilbao. The facilities were created in 1971 and today host the main men’s and women’s teams, as well as 17 other lower clubs, up to under-11.

“We had some recent departures that generated important money, such as Javi Martínez, Ander Herrera, Eric Laporte, Kepa, and the club’s strategic decision was to reinvest in what generates revenue for Athletic, which is the base. We have already had complicated moments, but even then there was no debate about changing philosophy”commented Berasategi.

The sports complex has an area of ​​13 hectares, with four grass fields, as well as a stadium for 3,200 people, four with artificial grass, another covered, weight rooms, medical center, changing rooms and a specific space for goalkeepers.

The residence for minors, with 30 double rooms, was opened in 2021. The club has professionals dedicated to training athletes and education in general. Furthermore, the team has agreements with 175 clubs spread across the Basque Country, which serve as development centers and talent suppliers.

And this ends up reflecting on the field: among all the clubs in the five main European leagues, Athletic Bilbao is the one whose players trained at the base have the most time on the field, accounting for 55% of the minutes in the current season’s Spanish Championship, according to with data from CIES.

Shield and its references

The symbol on the chest of the team’s shirts references significant local icons: the Guernica Tree, which survived German and Italian bombings in the city during the Spanish Civil War; the Church of Santo Antão; and the Bridge of the same name, crossed by the Nervión River, known as the Bilbao estuary in its final stretch.

Philosophy that brings achievements

Throughout its many years of history, Athletic Bilbao is one of the references in Spain. To date, there have been 8 titles Spanish Championship (1929/30, 1930/31, 1933/34, 1935/36, 1942/43, 1955/56, 1982/83 and 1983/84), 24 of King’s Cup (1903, 1904, 1910, 1911, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1921, 1923, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1942/43, 1943/44, 1944/45, 1949/50, 1955/56 , 1957/58, 1968/69, 1972/73, 1983/84 and 2023/24) and 3 Spanish Super Cups (1984, 2015 and 2020/21).