About Athletic Club
Athletic Bilbao's cantera policy — signing only players from the Basque Country or those developed in Basque academies — is unique in professional football and should be impossible at the top level. It isn't. The club have never been relegated from La Liga, one of only three clubs to hold that distinction, and the academy produces talent at a rate that defies the restrictions. San Mames, the Cathedral, was rebuilt in 2013 and maintains the intimidating atmosphere of the old ground. Ernesto Valverde's return has steadied a squad that mixes veterans like Iker Muniain's successors with academy graduates who know nothing else. The Copa del Rey victory in 2024 — their first trophy in 40 years — ended one of Spanish football's longest droughts.
Legends
Telmo Zarra scored 335 goals in 15 seasons, a record that stood as La Liga's all-time best for over half a century. Jose Angel Iribar kept goal for 17 years and captained the side during the Franco era, becoming a symbol of Basque identity. Rafael Moreno 'Pichichi' gave his name to La Liga's top scorer award after his death in 1922. Julen Guerrero was the most naturally gifted player of the 1990s generation, a number ten whose loyalty to the club cost him a bigger stage.