Athletic Bilbao

Full name	Athletic Club de Bilbao
Nickname	Rojiblancos, Los Leones
Founded	1898
Ground	San Mames, Bilbao
Capacity	46,500
Chairman	?
Manager	Ernesto Valverde
League	La Liga
2003-04	La Liga, 5th
Home colours 　 Away colours

Athletic Club de Bilbao are a Basque football club from Bilbao in Vizcaya. The club, which was founded by British expatriates in 1898, currently plays in the Primera División, where they have resided since the formation of Spain's national league in 1928. Of the founding league members, only Athletic, Real Madrid, and FC Barcelona have never been relegated. Their biggest international success was in the season 1976-77, losing in the final of the UEFA Cup to Juventus. 1898 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Geography > Europe > Spain > Basque Country > Biscay Cityscape of Bilbao, with the Guggenheim Museum on the bottom right Bilbao (Basque: Bilbo) is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Pais Vasco and the capital of the province of Vizcaya (Basque: Bizkaia). ... This is a list of major football (soccer) stadiums, grouped by country and ordered by capacity. ... The Spanish football league is called La Liga. ... left arm of kit template File links The following pages link to this file: Arsenal F.C. Ajax Amsterdam AZ Alkmaar A.S. Roma Torino Calcio A.C. Milan ACF Fiorentina Bristol City F.C. Charlton Athletic F.C. Chievo Verona Chelsea F.C. England national football team Wikipedia:WikiProject... body of kit template - modified to include white stripes File links The following pages link to this file: FC Den Bosch West Bromwich Albion F.C. Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. PSV Eindhoven Athletic Bilbao Southampton F.C. Atlético de Madrid Tromsø I.L. Real Sociedad Udinese Calcio Futebol... rightarm of kit template File links The following pages link to this file: Arsenal F.C. Ajax Amsterdam AZ Alkmaar A.S. Roma Torino Calcio A.C. Milan ACF Fiorentina Bristol City F.C. Charlton Athletic F.C. Chievo Verona Chelsea F.C. England national football team Wikipedia:WikiProject Football... shorts of kit template File links The following pages link to this file: Arsenal F.C. Ajax Amsterdam AZ Alkmaar A.S. Roma Torino Calcio A.C. Milan ACF Fiorentina Bristol City F.C. Charlton Athletic F.C. Chievo Verona Chelsea F.C. England national football team Wikipedia:WikiProject Football... socks of kit template File links The following pages link to this file: Arsenal F.C. Ajax Amsterdam AZ Alkmaar A.S. Roma Torino Calcio A.C. Milan ACF Fiorentina Bristol City F.C. Charlton Athletic F.C. Chievo Verona Chelsea F.C. England national football team Wikipedia:WikiProject Football... left arm of kit template File links The following pages link to this file: Arsenal F.C. Ajax Amsterdam AZ Alkmaar A.S. Roma Torino Calcio A.C. Milan ACF Fiorentina Bristol City F.C. Charlton Athletic F.C. Chievo Verona Chelsea F.C. England national football team Wikipedia:WikiProject... rightarm of kit template File links The following pages link to this file: Arsenal F.C. Ajax Amsterdam AZ Alkmaar A.S. Roma Torino Calcio A.C. Milan ACF Fiorentina Bristol City F.C. Charlton Athletic F.C. Chievo Verona Chelsea F.C. England national football team Wikipedia:WikiProject Football... shorts of kit template File links The following pages link to this file: Arsenal F.C. Ajax Amsterdam AZ Alkmaar A.S. Roma Torino Calcio A.C. Milan ACF Fiorentina Bristol City F.C. Charlton Athletic F.C. Chievo Verona Chelsea F.C. England national football team Wikipedia:WikiProject Football... socks of kit template File links The following pages link to this file: Arsenal F.C. Ajax Amsterdam AZ Alkmaar A.S. Roma Torino Calcio A.C. Milan ACF Fiorentina Bristol City F.C. Charlton Athletic F.C. Chievo Verona Chelsea F.C. England national football team Wikipedia:WikiProject Football... This article is about the traditional Basque domain. ... The striker (wearing red jersey) has run past the defender (in white jersey) and is about to take a shot at the goal, while the goalkeeper positions himself to stop the ball. ... Geography > Europe > Spain > Basque Country > Biscay Cityscape of Bilbao, with the Guggenheim Museum on the bottom right Bilbao (Basque: Bilbo) is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Pais Vasco and the capital of the province of Vizcaya (Basque: Bizkaia). ... Categories: Spain geography stubs | Basque | Provinces of Spain | Bizkaia ... 1898 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Kingdom of Spain or Spain (Spanish and Galician: Reino de España or España; Catalan: Regne dEspanya; Basque: Espainiako Erresuma) is a country located in the southwest of Europe. ... 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Emblem Real Madrid Club de Fútbol of Spain is the worlds most successful football club for the 20th century, rank by the governing body of international football FIFA, just ahead of Manchester United. ... FC Barcelona, also known as Barça, is a sports club in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain with sections in many different sports. ... UEFA Cup logo The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams. ... Juventus F.C. (Latin for Youth) is one of Italys oldest and most successful football clubs, based in Turin. ...

They are known as the Rojiblancos, because of their strip colour: red with white stripes and black shorts; and as Los leones ("the lions"), from the supporter of their coat-of-arms. Their stadium is the San Mamés, also known as La Catedral ("the cathedral" (of football)), which seats 46,500 spectators. Binomial name Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758) The Lion (Panthera leo) is a mammal of the family Felidae. ... In heraldry, supporters are figures placed on either side of the shield and depicted holding it up. ...

The Athletics are one of the great names of Spanish football. They have been consistently successful over their history, although since the 1980s, championships have eluded them, finding it hard to compete against the great spending power of Real Madrid and Barça. This was compounded by a policy of only signing Basque players which exists to this day; this severely limits the talent pool from which the team can draw. This self-imposed restriction exists as an expression of Basque pride and a belief that they can win with just the "local boys". After 1912, only one non-Spanish player has ever been signed by the club—Bixente Lizarazu, a French Basque who played for the club late in the 1990s. At one time, País Vasco was a breeding ground of great Spanish players, and this worked in their favour. A bumper sticker summarized it as Con cantera y afición, no hace falta importación. ("With homegrown teams and supporters, there is no need for 'imports'".) In the competitive world of modern football, it is not such an advantage. Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... Emblem Real Madrid Club de Fútbol of Spain is the worlds most successful football club for the 20th century, rank by the governing body of international football FIFA, just ahead of Manchester United. ... FC Barcelona, also known as Barça, is a sports club in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain with sections in many different sports. ... This article is about the Basque people. ... Bixente Lizarazu (born December 9, 1969 in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France) is a football (soccer) left defender and midfielder for Bayern Munich and France. ... This article is about the traditional Basque domain. ... Events and trends Technology Explosive growth of the Internet; decrease in the cost of computers and other technology Reduction in size and cost of mobile phones leads to a massive surge in their popularity Year 2000 problem (commonly known as Y2K) Microsoft Windows operating system becomes virtually ubiquitous on IBM... Capital Vitoria-Gasteiz Official languages Basque and Spanish Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 14th   7 234 km²  1,4% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 7th  2 108 281  5,0%  291,44/km² Demonym  – English  – Basque  – Spanish  Basque  euskal herritar, euskaldun  vasco/a, vascongado/a Statute of Autonomy...

The Basqueness of players has been interpreted differently from time to time. Miguel Jones, a Negro born in Equatorial Guinea but raised at the Bilbao cantera, couldn't play for Athletic in the 1950s, while other players born abroad with Basque ancestors have in some cases been admitted. This contrasts with the practice of Athletic's Basque rival Real Sociedad, which once had a similar Basque-only policy but abandoned it in 1989. Negro means the color black in both Spanish and Portuguese languages, being derived from the Latin word niger of the same meaning. ... The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is a nation in central Africa, and one the smallest countries in continental Africa. ... Meaning quarries in Castilian Spanish, canteras are youth training facilities used by sports organizations. ... Events and trends Technology United States tests the first fusion bomb. ... Real Sociedad are a Basque football team from San Sebastián/Donostia in Guipúzcoa/Gipuzkoa. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The attention to cantera (homegrown teams) has led to the paradox that, while many supporters are Basque nationalists, the team has supplied many players to the Spanish national team. Spanish players from other teams were often eclipsed by foreign stars and didn't reach the level required for international matches. The Gernika oak is a symbol of Basque freedoms. ... First International Spain 2 - 0 Belgium (Bilbao, Spain; 7 October 1921) Largest win Spain 13 - 0 Bulgaria (Madrid, Spain; 21 May 1933) Worst defeat Italy 7 - 1 Spain (Amsterdam, Netherlands; 4 June 1928) England 7 - 1 Spain (London, England; 9 December 1931) World Cup Appearances 11 (First in 1934) Best...

Atlético de Madrid was founded by Basque students in Madrid. The early relationships between both teams are visible in the similar uniforms. Atlético de Madrid - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ...

In 2003, in its first season, the women's football team won the Spanish championship. 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Events January January 1 - Luíz Inácio Lula Da Silva becomes the 37th President of Brazil. ...

Honours

• Copa del Rey winners 24 times (last 1984).
• Primera División champions eight times (last 1984).
• Spanish Super Cup once, in 1985.

The Copa del Rey (the Kings Cup) is Spanish footballs annual cup competition. ... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Famous players

• Alkorta
• Bata
• Chopo, goalkeeper of the Spanish team for many years.
• Dani
• Etxeberria
• Goikoetxea
• Gorostiza
• Guerrero
• Bixente Lizarazu, a mainstay of the French national team for many years.
• Pichichi
• Unamuno
• Uriarte
• Zarra
• Zubi, a Spanish national team goalkeeper, and one of the players with most appereances in the national squad.

Guillermo Gorostiza Paredes (February 15, 1909 - August 23, 1966), known as Gorostiza on the pitch, was a Spanish football forward for Athletic Bilbao from 1929 to 1940. ... Bixente Lizarazu (born December 9, 1969 in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France) is a football (soccer) left defender and midfielder for Bayern Munich and France. ... First International Belgium 3 - 3 France (Brussels, Belgium; 1 May 1904) Largest win France 10 - 0 Azerbaijan (Paris, France; 6 September 1995) Worst defeat Denmark 17 - 1 France (London, England; 19 October 1908) World Cup Appearances 11 (First in 1930) Best result Winners, 1998 European Championship Appearances 6 (First in... Rafael Moreno Aranzadi, also known as Pichichi, (August 8, 1892 - March 1, 1922) was a Spanish football player. ... Telmo Zarraonandia Montoya (born January 30, 1921 in Asua, Vizcaya), known as Zarra, was a Spanish football player for Athletic Bilbao from 1940 to 1955. ...

Players famous by other reasons

• José Antonio Aguirre, first lehendakari (president) of the autonomous government of the Basque Country.
• Javier Clemente, coach for Athletic, the Spanish national team and several others with which he never finished a full season, either was hired or fired during the season.

The President of the Basque Country is referred to as Lehendakari (literally, firstlier) in Basque, or Eusko Jaurlaritzako Lehendakari (President of the Basque Government); the Spanish title is Presidente del Gobierno Vasco. ...

External links

• Athletic Club de Bilbao Official Site (http://www.athletic-club.net/museo.asp?idi=2) (in English; Basque and Spanish versions also available)
• Voluntad de tradición (http://canales.elcorreodigital.com/especiales/eleccionesathletic/noticias/not270501a.html), an article on the Athletic hiring policy (in Spanish).
• aupaAthletic.com (http://www.aupaathletic.com), unofficial site with the latest news and discussions on this football club (Spanish).

The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Basque (Euskara in Basque) is the language spoken by the Basque people, who live in northern Spain and the adjoining area of southwestern France. ... This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ...