Importance Score: 55 / 100 🔵
A matchday walk to San Mames stadium in Bilbao offers a uniquely moving football experience, far removed from the usual chaotic scenes. While some supporters gather near the metro, the majority leisurely proceed towards Licenciedo Poza, or Pozas as it’s known locally. Here, the pre-match atmosphere is characterized by fans calmly enjoying beers or wines accompanied by Basque tapas, known as pintxos, a civilised prelude to supporting Athletic Bilbao.
This refined atmosphere distinguishes itself from the often frantic and less appealing stadium exits familiar to many football attendees.
A Unique Matchday Experience at San Mames
Witnessed in September 2016 after an Athletic Bilbao victory over Sevilla, the electrifying atmosphere inside the stadium gives way to lively conversations as fans emerge from bars. The streets surrounding San Mames become vibrant with friends enjoying drinks and local culinary delights at small outdoor tables.
Basque Identity and Football Celebration
San Mames serves as a cultural hub, distinctly Basque in its visible symbols including flags and language. Visitors find it unforgettable, as it embodies the spirit of football as not just a sport of high importance but also a joyful social celebration.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
Bilbao and Glasgow: Post-Industrial Football Cities
As Rangers and their supporters prepare to visit on Thursday for a crucial Europa League quarter-final second leg (the score delicately balanced at 0-0), the parallels between Bilbao and Glasgow are noteworthy. Both cities share a post-industrial heritage, transformed by the decline of steel manufacturing and shipbuilding. Both populations possess a resilient spirit and a deep-seated passion for football.
Athletic Bilbao’s British Football Links
Athletic Bilbao also shares significant connections with British football history. La Campa de los Ingleses, a local landmark, acts as a shrine to the sport in the city. Intriguingly, there are three locations referred to by this name: one at the old quay, another in a park near the Guggenheim museum, and a restaurant within San Mames stadium.
La Campa de los Ingleses: Birthplace of a Club
Most pertinent to the club’s origins is La Campa de los Ingleses at the former quay. A plaque commemorates this site as the birthplace of Athletic Bilbao. The term “Ingleses” broadly refers to British sailors and workers who played football on this ground in the Abandoibarra area during the late 19th century, undoubtedly including Scots amongst them.
Today, the area attracts tourists, many of whom unknowingly pass by the plaque en route to the iconic Guggenheim Museum situated on the Nervion river.
English Influence on Athletic’s Formation
The links between Athletic and Britain are readily apparent. The English spelling of the club’s name itself is indicative. Furthermore, their early playing style was modeled in ‘the English way’: strong and physical. Athletic was established as a team embodying these traits.
Basque Identity: A Unique Club Philosophy
However, significant differences separate Athletic from Glasgow’s football culture. Bilbao is predominantly a one-club city. The rivalry with Real Sociedad from San Sebastian is considered amicable, even cordial. The primary source of tension between the clubs stems from Athletic’s perceived poaching of talent from other Basque clubs’ youth academies.
Known as Los Leones (The Lions), Athletic relentlessly pursues local talent, largely driven by necessity. The club maintains a unique player policy requiring Basque heritage.
Pete Jenson, a seasoned journalist covering Spanish football, notes, “This has become a more flexible interpretation over time.”
The generally accepted principle is that players born or developed in the Basque region are eligible to play for the team. Critics argue that the definition of the Basque Country has been liberally stretched to accommodate Athletic’s ambitions. Descendants of the Basque diaspora also qualify, extending to their women’s teams as well.
La Cantera: Athletic’s Talent Quarry
Nevertheless, the main complaint from rival Basque clubs, particularly Sociedad and Osasuna, is that Athletic harvests the best prospects from their academies. Athletic’s youth system, “la cantera,” translates to “the quarry,” highlighting the resentment that they extract “gems” from other clubs’ developmental systems.
This Basque-only philosophy arose from controversy. In 1911, Sociedad alleged that Athletic fielded two English players in a cup match. While Athletic denied the accusation, they declared a policy of exclusively selecting players of Basque origin going forward.
This distinctive approach has become Athletic Club Bilbao’s hallmark, bringing global recognition, but also inherent limitations.
In an era of largely unrestricted player movement, Athletic faces a shrinking talent pool domestically due to declining birth rates in the Basque Country. However, immigration has provided a considerable source of new talent.
Jenson highlights, “The Williams brothers exemplify this perfectly,” referring to Inaki and Nico. Their parents fled Ghana in 1993, and both brothers were born in Spain after their parents were granted asylum. Inaki was born in Bilbao, and Nico in Pamplona.
Jenson adds, “Nico’s impressive performances in the Euros were evident, but his form has dipped this season, potentially due to transfer speculation and a failed move to Barcelona. However, he is still capable of rising to the occasion for major games, and a Europa League quarter-final at San Mames undoubtedly qualifies. The brothers possess a knack for excelling under pressure.”
Maroan Sannadi, who returned from injury to play against Villarreal before the first leg at Ibrox, is another player of immigrant parentage who has impressed at Bilbao. The 24-year-old was born in Vitoria-Gasteiz in the Basque Country to Moroccan parents.
Jenson suggests, “However, the most intriguing player might be Mikel Jauregizar; he is the emerging sensation.”
Mikel Jauregizar: Rising Star
The 21-year-old midfielder is attracting significant attention from elite clubs in Spain and England. While relatively subdued at Ibrox, he has an opportunity to shine on home ground.
Jenson continues, “This is a very strong Athletic side, although recently they seem to struggle to score against teams employing a five-defender formation.”
This observation is supported by successive goalless draws against Osasuna, Villarreal, and Rangers, although they rebounded with a 3-1 home victory over Rayo Vallecano on Sunday and currently hold fourth place in La Liga.
Jenson states, “Ernesto Valverde is an exceptional manager, and the team possesses a clear identity. He understands the demands of the role.”
Valverde, 61, is eligible to manage Athletic due to relocating to the Basque Country as a young child. His connection with the club is deep-rooted, having played for them from 1990-96, served as assistant manager in 2000-01, manager from 2003-05 and 2013-17, and returning to the helm in 2022 after managing Barcelona.
His composed, intellectual approach to life and work contrasts sharply with the fervent atmosphere at San Mames, yet Valverde comprehends the expectations of the job.
Jenson concludes, “Athletic is driven by glory.” The city still echoes with the celebrations following their Copa del Rey triumph last season.
Copa del Rey Triumph: A City Celebrates
The Copa del Rey victory was celebrated with a spectacular barge procession (La Gabarra) down the Nervion river, witnessed by an estimated million people. This mirrored the celebrations of 1983, when Athletic last won La Liga, and La Gabarra was towed along the river to extraordinary public acclaim.
These river journeys pay homage to a past era when coal, ore, and other goods were central to the city’s economy. However, football has remained Bilbao’s enduring passion.
With San Mames hosting this season’s Europa League final, the tournament presents Athletic with another opportunity to achieve great success.