Athletic Bilbao: A tale of Basque identity and tradition

“Con cantera y afición, no hace falta importación” – “With home-grown teams and supporters, there is no need for imports.”

With the amount of money being thrown around in modern day football, it’s hard not to admire the way Spanish club Athletic Bilbao operate. Far from modern, their policy of playing Basque only players is still going strong today.

Officially, they will only sign players from the greater Basque Country, including those from the areas of Biscay, Gúipuzcoa, Álava, Navarre, Labourd, Soule and Lower Navarre. However, players not born in those specifically named areas are still eligible to play for the club as long as they have been raised from a young age in the Basque Country.

The other major part of the way Athletic Bilbao work is to bring through young and talented players from the youth team, the “cantera” as it’s known in Spain. The idea is to nurture their own talent and promote players from within, rather than looking to sign players from abroad all the time. Francisco Yeste is probably the most notable product of recent times, but the last couple of seasons have seen the emergence of players like Markel Susaeta, Ander Iturraspe and 17-year-old wonderkid Iker Muniain.

Whilst there is some debate over the club’s policy, one thing is certain and that is that the supporters are incredibly proud of their unique situation. Most Athletic fans will tell you that they’d rather be relegated than give up their policy. An interesting fact actually is that they are one of only three clubs to have never been relegated from the top flight in Spain, alongside giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Though as admirable as it is, many people question whether their desire for such a strong Basque identity is limiting their success. The last time they won a trophy was in 1984, when under Javier Clemente they won the La Liga and Copa del Rey double.

Since then they have been a relatively quiet mid-table club, not really looking like pushing forward. In recent seasons, they have been close to relegation, with the 2006-07 season being the worst in the club’s history as they finished in 17th place. They have improved a little since then, in the last three years they managed 11th, 13th and 8th place finishes.

So what next for Athletic? Two of their most influential players, Francisco Yeste and Joseba Etxeberría have left the club. Yeste has moved to Al-Wasl in U.A.E and Etxeberría, a Basque legend who played nearly 500 times for Bilbao has retired. On the upside, they have Spanish internationals Fernando Llorente and Javi Martínez in great form and other younger players like Muniain eager to make an impact.

Whatever happens, one thing we know for sure is that they will look to their own and their Basque identity will carry on strong. In a footballing world surrounded by money, foreign investment and disloyalty, their stance and policy deserves to be respected.

What do people think of this? Would you like your club to have a similar policy? Would you give up success for such an identity?

(photo via nicholas macgowan on Flickr)

Athletic Bilbao, Spain, Spanish Primera Division