Image retrieved from Google Images
Known as Los Leones (“The Lions”), Basque club in red and white stripes as one of only three teams in Spain, alongside Barcelona and Real Madrid, to have never relegated from the top league. Athletic Bilbao (or Athletic Club de Bilbao, as officially known in Spanish) clinched its first La Liga title in 1930 and since then, has secured the championship seven more times, establishing itself as the fourth most successful club in the history of Spanish football.
History
Athletic Bilbao, officially founded in 1903, traces its origins even further back. British shipyard workers and Basque students returning from Britain introduced the game of football to Bilbao, giving rise to the club’s name, Athletic, instead of Atlético.
These two groups each started their own football clubs in 1898 before deciding to join forces in 1903 and create Athletic Club. Bilbao has a rich football history and the club was dominant in Spain’s early days. With the help of English manager Mr. Shepard, Athletic won the first two Copa del Rey tournaments and built the first purpose-built football stadium in Spain, Estadio San Mamés.
Under the guidance of English coach Fred Pentland, Athletic won their first two La Liga titles in 1930 and 1931. British coaches seemed to bring luck to the team as they continued to dominate the 30s, winning more titles. The 40s and 50s were remembered for Telmo Zarra, one of the best forwards of his time.
After a dry spell, Athletic returned to the top under Javier Clemente, winning two La Liga titles in the 80s. Matches against Barcelona were intense, with the 1984 Copa del Rey final being particularly memorable for a huge on-field scuffle involving Diego Maradona.
Basque Only
Since 1912, just nine years after they started, Athletic Bilbao has stuck to their official rule of only having Basque players. Basically, they only let people of Basque descent play for the team. It’s a pretty unusual tradition in the soccer world, but it hasn’t stopped Athletic from being successful.
They’ve won eight La Liga titles and 23 Copa del Rey trophies. They’ve come close to winning an international trophy twice, but unfortunately they haven’t clinched the win yet. The most recent time was in the 2011-2012 UEFA Europa League, where they made it to the final but couldn’t beat Atlético Madrid.
A Disputed Copa del Rey Title From Old times
So basically, there’s a disagreement between the club and the Spanish Federation about how many Copas del Rey trophies Athletic Bilbao have actually won in their history. Athletic won what could be considered the first Copa del Rey back in 1902, when they were known as “Club Bizcaya”. However, the Federation says it doesn’t count because it was technically a predecessor to the official Copa del Rey.
Logo
In some versions of the logo, the top part with the inner shield can be in color or black and white. It shows the church and bridge of San Anton, plus the Tree of Guernica. If you look closely, you can see two wolves at the base of the tree. These wolves are part of the Haro family crest, who were the original founders of Bilbao.
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