Athletic Club [Official Thread]

[BasqueLion]

Basic information

Full name: Athletic Club
City: Bilbao (Basque Country)
Founded: 1898
Nickname: The Lions
Stadium: San Mamés, a.k.a. The Football Cathedral (40.000 viewers)
Website (in english): .: Athletic Club - Official Site :.


Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Vizcaya, Basque Country. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on 8 occasions and the Spanish Cup in 24 occasions. In the historical classification of La Liga Athletic Bilbao are in 4th place and one of only three clubs which have never been relegated from La Liga (the others being Real Madrid and Barcelona). The club also has a women's team, which has won four championships in the Spanish Superliga.

They are known as the Los Leones (the lions) because their stadium was built near a church called San Mamés (Saint Mammes). Mammes was an early Christian thrown to the lions by the Romans. The lions refused to eat Mammes and he was later made a saint. The San Mamés Stadium is hence nicknamed "the football cathedral" because of the great teams and victories it has achieved in more than 100 years of history.


The club is known for its "cantera" (youth teams) policy of bringing young Basque players through the ranks or players from other provinces living in the Basque Country for natural causes, as well as recruiting top Basque players from other clubs. Athletic official policy is signing professional players native to the Basque Country, including Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, Araba, Navarra (in Spain); and Lapurdi, Zuberoa and Behe Nafarroa (Low Navarra) (in the french Pyrenees). This has gained Athletic both admirers and critics. The club has been praised for promoting home grown players and club loyalty. Athletic is one of only four professional clubs in Spain (the others being Real Madrid and Barcelona) that is not a sports corporation; the club is owned and operated by its associates (socios).

[SweSpurs]

1, this is a Tottenham forum
2, whats the asking price of Llorente?

[rossdfc]

1, this is a Tottenham forum
2, whats the asking price of Llorente?

It's not in the Tottenham section of the forum, it's in the away team dugout "Here is the place to discuss everything else football ! from the Premiership to League two and all the leagues in the world"

[Marky-Plant]

I enjoyed reading this!

Hopefully Llorente will play for spurs soon

[AmericanHotspur]

Yeah we have Rangers, Celtic, even MLS threads so I don't see why we can't have this one.


I'm actually hoping someone can untiring the big 2 in Spain, maybe this club could be the one to do it? Until they start signing non-basque players I doubt it but maybe..

[SweSpurs]

It's not in the Tottenham section of the forum, it's in the away team dugout "Here is the place to discuss everything else football ! from the Premiership to League two and all the leagues in the world"

Yea saw that now, did not see it when I wroted from my phone

[BasqueLion]

Athletic Club's Anthem

The first song adopted as non official anthem for Athletic Club was "Alirón". It was composed in 1913 by Aquino and Retana. The "cuplé" female singer Teresita Zazá brought it to Bilbao and Athletic supporters changed the lyrics for "¡Alirón! ¡Alirón! ¡El Athletic es campeón!". The classic lyrics were these:

En España entera triunfa la canción del "alirón"
y no hay chico deportista que no sepa esta canción.
Y las niñas orgullosas hoy le dan su corazón

a cualquiera de los once del Athletic campeón. [...]
¡Alirón, alirón, el Athletic es campeón!

In the decade of 1950 another song become popular, by Timoteo Urrengoechea (music) and Goyo Nadal (lyrics) singed by Los Cinco Bilbaínos (The Five Bilbaonians).

Athletic, Athletic Club de limpia tradición:
ninguno más que tú lleva mejor blasón.
Del fútbol eres ley; te llaman el león.

Y tu afición es reina del fútbol español.

There is a recent modern rock version of that classic song:

In 1982 Carmelo Bernaola received the task of composing a new anthem for the club. Bernaola, supporter of the club, took some lines from the classical songs and included the sound of two musical instrument very typical from the Basque Country, the txistu and the tamboril:

Juan Antón Zubikarai wrote the lyrics in basque language, more especifically in the dialect from Bizkaia. Mentions to Spain were omitted but it mentions Euskal Herria (Basque Country) and The Tree of Gernika. These are the lyrics:

Athletic, Athletic, eup! (x3)
Athletic gorri ta zuria
danontzat zara zu geuria.
Erritik sortu zinalako
maite zaitu erriak.

Gaztedi gorri-zuria
zelai orlegian
Euskalerriaren
erakusgarria.
Zabaldu daigun guztiok
irrintzi alaia:
Athletic, Athletic
zu zara nagusia!
Altza gaztiak!

Athletic, Athletic
gogoaren indarra.
Aritz zarraren enborrak
loratu dau orbel barria.

Aupa mutillak!
Aurrera gure gaztiak!
Bilbo ta Bizkai guztia
goratu bedi munduan.
Aupa mutillak!
Gora beti Euskalerria!
Athletic gorri-zuria
geuria.

Bilbo ta Bizkaiko gaztiak gora!
Euskaldun zintzoak aurrera!

The anthem was record recorded in 1983 and it was interpretated by the ABAO (Bizkaian Opera Friends Association) and the local band of Bilbao. It was listened the first time in March 30th 1983 in San Mamés, before a match of the quarterfinals of the Spanish Cup against Barcelona. And it's still our official anthem nowadays although there are many songs dedicated to the team and its history.

[BasqueLion]

I'm actually hoping someone can untiring the big 2 in Spain, maybe this club could be the one to do it? Until they start signing non-basque players I doubt it but maybe..

It's the only team together with Real Madrid and Barcelona that always has play in the First Division of the Spanish League. Docens of teams with foreign player have fail trying it and they still do. We won't change. It's our path. We won't give up fighting for our dream .

If you're interested on it periodically I will upgrade the information of the club in this thread so that you can get to know us better.

[MagnaThor]

If Llorente doesn't join us, I'm definitely cheering for them in La Liga.

[Irish Yid Pavlyuchenko]

@BasqueLion

I have so much respect for Bilbao, such a Pure club!

[BlueCrew LA]

I like it.....

[BlueCrew LA]

Yeah we have Rangers, Celtic, even MLS threads so I don't see why we can't have this one.


I'm actually hoping someone can untiring the big 2 in Spain, maybe this club could be the one to do it? Until they start signing non-basque players I doubt it but maybe..

If it happens it's going to be Valencia. The club can actually attract players but they need to sort out their finances.

[AmericanHotspur]

If it happens it's going to be Valencia. The club can actually attract players but they need to sort out their finances.

Probably.. I wish the owners of Malaga or Getafe had chosen Valencia instead as well.

Villa, Silva, Mata, Soldado. That's 4 top drawer attackers right there. But 2 of them left and one looks like he might leave.

[MagnaThor]

I am surprised as to why we, and any other top clubs have not pursued Soldado...

[BasqueLion]

@BasqueLion

I have so much respect for Bilbao, such a Pure club!

Thank you very much, man . In future posts I will explain the links between Athletic and british football and I'm sure you will be very surprised for that .

About Llorente, it's not because I support Athletic but he's going to play here some more years. He has explained several times that he wants to experience other things and that the Premier League is a great attraction to him. But that it isn't the moment yet. I think he's thinking of playing in England the last years of his career. He refused Liverpool in January, he said in October "Next year I'll be back to Bernabeu with Athletic's T-Shirt" and he is our symbol, our model player. He came to Bilbao when he was 11 and he has grown here in every aspects of his life. He values a lot that Athletic has made him World Champion and he has something pending. Winning a title for us and classificating for the Champions League. So does Javi Martínez, a very noble and sentimental boy. Our future captain. And I'm absolutely sure than in 4 years they will achieve both things .

Thanks for your words and support Athletic. Forget about Real Madrid, Barcelona and arabian owners for other teams. Don't forget what the origin of football is. Athletic is football's purest essence. More than a feeling, a sentiment, a symbol for a land. We need to preserve it .