[13], In the early 21st century, Basque football is represented by many clubs old and new, some of them holding a strong presence in the Spanish top division La Liga, including Athletic Bilbao (who have played there on a constant basis since its formation in 1928 and been champions eight times, plus 23 Copa del Rey wins and two UEFA Cup / Europa League finals), Real Sociedad (present in all but a handful of seasons, champions twice and Copa winners three times, including 2020 which was a Basque derby between Athletic and Real), Deportivo Alavs (somewhat intermittent members of the top division but with strong periods and a UEFA Cup final appearance in 2001) and SD Eibar (from 2014 to 2021, characterised as one of the smallest clubs to take part at that level).[14]. [77] However, a proposed meeting with Chile did not come to pass. With a deep talent pool to choose from, the Basques would be able to field a team capable of making it out of the group stages of a World Cup. [45] They then crossed the Andes to Valparaso, Chile, where on 9 May 1938 they played Santiago Wanderers,[46] but the result is not known. Both Gipuzkoa and Biscay participated in the 1922-23 and 1923-24 Copa del Prncipe de Asturias, with the later reaching the semi-finals of the 1923-24 edition after defeating Asturias in Bilbao 42 thanks to a second-half brace from Travieso,[26] but then lost to eventual champions Catalonia, who had already eliminated Gipuzkoa from the competition. The Basque Country lost 12. Less heralded when it comes to footballing matters is the French Basque country an area made up of a union of three provinces to the north-east of the traditionally mapped Basque Country. But that has all changed since the 26-year-old returned to his boyhood Athletic Club Bilbao last summer. [16], On 22 November 1916 the Cantabrian teams left the North Federation, joining the newly formed Cantabrian Federation (Federacin Cantbrica de Clubes de Football), which encompassed Asturian and Cantabrian clubs. [58] Iraragorri and Langara (two players from the 1937 team) kicked off, and Iribar served as captain. [1] Permission was duly granted and the racetrack became the new home of organised football in Viscaya. Selecting a keeper for the Basque National is very easy, because there is already a first-choice in Athletic's Gorka Iraizoz. The Basque Country boasts a deep pool of talent at the back. A few months later the Basque team won again, 40 against Bulgaria in San Sebastin's Atotxa Stadium. Modern football was introduced to the Basque Country in the late 19th century by a combination of mostly British immigrant workers, visiting sailors and Spanish students returning from Britain. The Athletic Club winger would be a great player opposite toGriezmann for the Basques, as both would be able to beat defenders with pace and also provide assistance in defence. Like the rest of Spain, it is in the midfield that the Basques would boast their biggest talents. [104][105] The Basques retained the Spanish stage title in 200506 (hosting the semi-finals and final), but did not progress from their intermediate group in the subsequent 2007 UEFA Regions' Cup. Though he can score from well outside the box, Muniain does his best work inside the box when he creates his own chances or finishes off missed opportunities. However, discrepancies between the federation, players and ESAIT led to the match, scheduled again to be played against Iran, not to be played. He has never been outspoken about being Basque, but there are options to replace him in Aritz Aduriz and Imanol Agirretxe. Alain Arroyo scored the winning goal in the 2005 final, held in Poland. Galen Gering, actor. If Laporte was to snub the Basque national team for France, there are several other options in defence such as Mikel Gonzalez, Carlos Gurpegui and Mikel San Jose. But with the players available to the Basque national team, starting the Chelsea defender on the right is the better move. [56] Controversy was caused before the match by the Spanish government deciding that the song of the Basque football team (Gernikako Arbola The Tree of Guernica)[57] should not be sung before the game. The Basque Country national football team (Basque: Euskal selekzioa) represents the Basque Country in football. The motto used to describe the reasoning behind it is Con cantera y aficin, no hace falta importacin (English: "with home-grown . Had this been one year ago, Mikel Balenziaga would not even be on the reserves of this list. Category for Association football players from the Basque Country . [90], Several organisations including the Basque Government[91] and the Basque Football Federation are trying to persuade FIFA and UEFA to accept the Basque Country as an affiliated member. In 1918 the province of Gipuzkoa formed its own federation and its own team, leaving the province of Biscay on their own in Federation Norte. This season under Ernesto Valverde, Herrera has broken out of his shell and has developed even more as a complete midfielder. Laporte gained Spanish citizenship due to time spent living in Biscay (2010 to 2018). Of the 28 at la Real, 17 are Basque (19,. This article appeared first on These Football Times. A team made up of players from the Basque Country played Real Madrid in the Gal Stadium in Irun, losing 02. Born in Dax in October 1899, to a mother from Madrid and a French father, Petit spent much of his childhood following his fathers work commitments as an engineer, moving back and forth between France and Spain on a regular basis until the family settled on the Spanish side of the Basque border in the town of Irun. On 29 September 1913 the Royal Spanish Football Federation was formally created and along with it four regional federations (Norte, Oeste, Este and Centro). [29][30][31] At the same time a choir called Eresoinka was formed to tour Europe for the same purpose. [65][66] The controversy went beyond the sports arena and against this statement were positioned many political parties such as the PNV, PSE-PSOE and PP, and supporting it were Eusko Alkartasuna, Ezker Batua and Eusko Abertzale Ekintza. The Athletic defender also has decent pace and vision, but his passing is what makes him stand out. But other Basque clubs, such asEibar, who will likely be promoted to the first division for the first time next season, are beginning to find success as well. [2], Interest in the sport continued to grow among the local citizens, who began to practice it, and they even went as far as to challenge the British team in 1894 to a match at Lamiako,[4][6][7] and naturally, the much advanced British won by a resounding score (05), but the result did not discourage the enthusiastic locals who were quick to play another match as the sport was sparking high interest in the area. Pairing Laporte and Inigo Martinez would be difficult due to both being left footed, but with their quality it would still be an incredible partnership and something that could be worked around. He was recently left offthe squad list for last friendly against Peru, presumably because he has never been that outspoken about supporting the Basque Country. [11][12] In May 1915 they won the inaugural Copa del Prncipe de Asturias tournament in Madrid after beating Catalonia 10 with a goal from Legarreta and then holding the hosts, 'Centro' (a Castile/Madrid XI), to a 11 draw, in which the author of the Basque goal was Patricio. Were that the case, Athletic Club winger Markel Susaeta would have no problems slotting in on the right. You won't be finding first team ready players at any of these clubs. While the French Basque Country has lacked the unity of a collective team, they can call their own at the highest levels of the club game. 8 Iribar, widely known as 'El Chopo' (The Popular), is an eminent figure of Basque . In 1980, in Vitoria, they lost 15 to Hungary. [1][11][12] In March 1903, Bilbao FC could not keep an independent structure and ended up being absorbed by Athletic Club[1][3] and the side that emerged from the unification was called Athletic Club de Bilbao.[4]. Azpilicueta is also capable of getting involved in the attack, making him an important player in any squad. Bilbao scouted him early and he played six successful seasons. Exactly 80 years ago, a French steamer called SS Winnipeg arrived in Chile, bringing 2200 Spanish refugees, many of them from the Basque country. Despite being mainly used a left-back under manager Jose Mourinho, Azpilicueta has played the majority of his career as a right-back and will likely do so with Spain in Brazil this summer. When looking at a possible Basque national team, it important to realise that there is truly no way of knowing what the team would actually look like. [2], These first football meetings were held on the quay next to the riverbank of Nervin, also known as La Campa de los Ingleses, and it was on this field that Club Atleta began to play against crews of English ships coming from Portsmouth and Southampton,[3][4] and even a new team, the Bilbao Football Club, which was also made up of British residents in the region, but not linked to the shipyards, such as Alfred Mills, who was a telegraph operator. Andoni Iraola could also start at right-back with Azpilicueta on the left. [60], In 2007 the team's name was changed to 'Euskal Herria' (Euskal Herriko Futbol Selekzioa), and on 29 December they played a match against Catalonia in San Mames. This means the Basque squads are frequently below what would be considered their 'full strength', but also means those who do take part are fully committed to the concept, and in many cases would have no other opportunities to experience international football so consider the match to be an important matter. [36][37] A match due to take place on 30 May in the Netherlands against Rotterdam was cancelled by the Dutch Federation. Fernando Llorente is a World Cup winner and has experience playing in Europe since he joined Italian giants Juventus last summer. [67][68] At this match the gold badge of honour of the Basque Football Federation was presented to Joseba Etxeberria, former player of Athletic Club Bilbao, for being the most capped player of the Basque team, and he was allowed to take the kick-off. [97], Due to the unofficial status of the Basque Country team and others, many of the usual conventions of international football do not apply. Can sign French under 17s (since they will become Basque). During the first year of the Spanish Civil War the Basque team changed its name to Euzkadiko selekzioa. The name change, driven by the Basque Football Federation, was denounced by politicians from the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV),[62][63] including the Lehendakari, Juan Jos Ibarretxe,[64] and also the main Spanish political parties such as the Partido Popular (PP) and PSOE. Then, in 2007, after 69 years without playing outside Spain, the Basque Country faced Venezuela in San Cristbal, winning 43. [38][39] But many clubs and national sides continued to play the Basque team because they sympathised with Republican Spain which the team symbolised. As of 2021, three Basque teams play in La Liga, the top division of the Spanish football system: Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad and Deportivo Alavs. [76], In October 2017, the federation confirmed that the Basque team would not play a friendly in late December that year as had become traditional (for reasons including scheduling difficulties, credibility in the football community and a noted decline in attendances at the festive matches), but instead would look to schedule a fixture during one of the FIFA International Match Calendar dates, possibly in March 2018. Petit retired from the game a year later. [22] The team also played the Uruguayan national side twice, losing both games,[23][24] before visiting Brazil where they played in So Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The Basque Country of Spain is an oft-celebrated component of world football, from Athletic Bilbao and their insistence upon only fielding players from the Basque Country to the sporadic rises of Real Sociedad. The first game following the dictatorship was played on 2 March 1978 in San Mams against the USSR. Thorgan Hazard. .mw-parser-output .nat-fs-player th{background-color:inherit;border:0}.mw-parser-output .nat-fs-player td{text-align:center;border:0}, The following players were called up to or played for the Basque Country in recent matches. Then they played Silesia in Chorzw on 9 June. This same applies to Athletic's reserve squad and women's team - midfielder Sophie Istillart became the first female player from the French Basque country to play for the club in 2020, while Bibiane Schulze-Solano was the daughter of a Basque woman despite being raised in Germany. Martinez would form a solid pivot in front of the defensive and would partner well with the Basque midfielders. History. Our Basque football guide heads deep into the heart of a region that was in many respects the birthplace of football in Spain with Basque clubs playing a vital role and enjoying considerable success during those formative years. [55] The team were called the 'Seleccin Vasca' and drew 00. Eduardo Chillida, sculptor. Other stand-ins for Herrera would include Mikel Arteta, Benat and Raul Garica. Javi Martinez needs no introduction. Eden might be the better footballer, but he doesn't have the best name in the family. One season at Chelsea brought him an FA Cup winners medal, before a final injury-hit campaign spent at Valencia culminated in a fifth Champions League final, where he could only watch on from the bench as an unused substitute as Hctor Cpers side lost out in Milan to Bayern Munich in a penalty shoot-out. The Soviet authorities were determined to win the final game in Moscow, so the Spartak team was improved by bringing players from other parts of the country to play for the team just for that match. [5], This temporary merge became known as Club Bizcaya (with a B), and following an invitation from Madrid FC (now known as Real Madrid), Club Bizcaya was sent to Madrid to represent the city of Bilbao in the 1902 Copa de la Coronacin, with the then Athletic president, Juan Astorquia, being named the team's captain. [106] At this level, the Basque team only represents the Basque Country (autonomous community), with the Navarre region having their own team along with the other autonomous communities of Spain. He was young enough to still be playing a decade later when La Liga was launched, claiming two further Copa del Rey winners medals during the 1920s. The list of Basque footballers features male association football players from the 'Greater Basque Country', a territory with a population of around 3 million (comprising the Basque autonomous Community (Pas Vasco or Euskadi) and Navarre which are two of Spain's seventeen autonomous communities, plus the Northern Basque Country, an agglomeration community in France) who have reached international status with the national teams as specified, the vast majority representing Spain. Media related to Basque Country association football team at Wikimedia Commons. Only played in one unofficial wartime international: Only played in three unofficial wartime international: See. Save Rules. Xabi Prieto could likely make a case for a starting role, maybe even as captain, while the likes of Mikel Arteta and Markel Susaeta have plenty of matches under their belts. The list of Basque footballers features male association football players from the 'Greater Basque Country', a territory with a population of around 3 million (comprising the Basque autonomous Community ( Pas Vasco or Euskadi) and Navarre which are two of Spain's seventeen autonomous communities, plus the Northern Basque Country, an It is home to Aviron Bayonnais, three-time French champions of the oval ball (although the last of those successes came in 1943). The man in France behind the humanitarian effort was the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, who had previously . Deschamps passed through the clubs youth system, spending most of his school years there, before going on to scale all the peaks of club and international football at Marseille and Juventus. [44] FIFA demanded that Cuba should not play the Basque Country. Though Llorente is easily the top choice to start up top for Euskal Herria, make no mistake about it, he is by no means the only option. The result was Euskal Herria 1, Catalonia 1.[61]. Six Bundesliga titles, five German Cups, one Champions League which was won in Madrid on the night Deschamps was on the opposing bench for Valencia - and victory at the 2001 World Club Championship made him the first player in history to be a reigning world and European champion at both club and international level, followed on from him playing his part for France in the successes of 1998 and 2000. Association football has been a part of Basque Country culture since the end of the 19th century. With Basque spoken readily, they must be the only tri-lingual football fans in the world, apart from the Dutch. If Valverde was not up to the job, former Athletic Club manager Jupp Heynckesor current Sevilla coach Unai Emery, who is a full-blooded Basque, could lead the team. [31] Their only loss was against Spartak Moscow. Since its inception in 1930, the team went through a series of names, was organised under exile in Latin America with some of the region's leading players of the time during the Civil War, and only played twice under Franco's dictatorship. Despite his age, Martinez plays with a commanding presence and isn't one to shyaway from a challenge. The Basque Country was grouped with Cantabria in 'Norte' (North). This Asturias/Cantabria XI participated in the 1917 and 1918 editions of the Copa del Prncipe de Asturias, finishing third and second respectively. During Franco's 36-year dictatorship it only played two games. Andoni Iraola, Carlos Martinez and Carlos Gurpegui are all proven and experienced defenders. The Basque Country has had a football team of its own since 1930. As they had run out of money and had no way of raising any, many of the big Argentine sides raised money for them. Artwork by: Sandra Sanchez This article is part of a series based on Basque football made in collaboration with Row Z. He can put a lot of pace on his shots and is already known for scoring some unbelievable goals in his time at Real Sociedad. [89] With the pandemic still ongoing in late 2021 (earlier causing the Euro fixtures to be moved from Bilbao to Seville), the Basque federation confirmed there would be no festive match that year, but an attempt would be made to arrange one for March 2022. Juan de Echevarra, painter. Both clubs have won the La Liga title and they were also original members of the inaugural La Liga campaign in 1929, when they were joined by fellow Basque rivals Arenas Club de Getxo and Real Unin as part of a four-strong Basque contingency in what was just a 10-team league. Both clubs merged later in 1915. Bilbao captain, Jose Angel Iribar and the Sociedad captain, Inaxio Kortabarria carrying Basque national flag. In Spain, Catalonia has received major attention over the years due to the success of Barcelona and calls for independence. Bixente Jean-Michel Lizarazu ( Basque pronunciation: [biente lisarasu], born 9 December 1969) is a French former professional footballer who played as a left back for Bordeaux and Bayern Munich, among other teams. Lizarazu was born in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, where the local footballing hero had been the goalkeeper Philippe Bergeroo, who made the squad for Frances successful Euro 84 campaign as host nation, and also went to the World Cup in Mexico in 1986. [34] This happened to be the same day that Guernica was bombed by Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe. Laporte would have a tough decision to make if presented with the choice of playing for the Basque national team, but for this list we will include him. He is able to dance his way through defenders with ease and has become more of a creator in recent years. The recent re-emergence ofAthletic Club BilbaoandRealSociedadhas put Basque football back on the map. The French Basque Country: a rugby heartland with world-class footballers The area has never produced a successful football club, but it has given France some of its most successful players. In 1937 the first president of the Basque autonomous region Jos Antonio Aguirre, who in his youth had been a player for Athletic Bilbao, decided to send a Basque football team abroad with the dual aim of raising money to fund the cost of the civil war, and also as a form of propaganda letting the world know about the conflict in Spain. He has all the right tools of a great defender and will only get better with more experience. Next came a return to Juventus where he dragged the club back from Serie B at the first time of asking after they were demoted from Serie A in 2006 in the wake of Calciopoli. This local rivalry was very strong in such a small town, but the success of these teams was important. If he was to play as a centre-back, then Ander Iturraspe could easily take his spot as holding midfielder. [6] Most of their home matches have been played in the San Mams Stadium which was replaced in 2013 by the new San Mams. Most of the players stayed on in the Americas and joined teams there. The United Kingdom provides one model for a sovereign state with more than one FIFA member, while the Faroe Islands is an example of an autonomous constituent country having a separate football team to the national team (Denmark). This article appeared first on These Football Times Follow These Football Times and Steven Scragg on Twitter Follow Guardian Football on Facebook, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Didier Deschamps lifts the Euro 2000 trophy. Yet, it is not certain that Alonso would elect to play for the Basques. [42] After playing nine matches in the capital[43] and one in Guadalajara they crossed over to Cuba where their problems with FIFA got worse. Scheduled ten days after the 201819 La Liga season had ended but prior to the second division's conclusion, various factors meant experienced players were reluctant to put themselves forward for the long trip across the Atlantic, and the small squad was augmented with promising youngsters, including four who had never played at a higher level than the regional third tier with Athletic Bilbao's reserves. The Basque Country has a powerful sense of its own sovereignty, and this week, its older football figures have been remembering the significant events of 40 years ago, when, in a Real Sociedad versus Athletic match, the players took to the field bearing, proudly, the Basque flag, the ikurrina. [4][5] It was from Lamiako that the sport of football took off in Bilbao, with several Bilbainos swarming the field to watch the teams of British workers challenge each other every weekend,[4][5] and there is even evidence of a "serious" tournament in the winter of 189293, which was contested in Lamiako by Club Atleta and Bilbao FC, and won by the former, who received medals presented by James S. Clark on 22 April 1893. Any chance of having the Basque national team actually competing in international tournaments is surely a long way awayif it ever is to occur. [4] In fact, shortly after the match, some young people from the Gimnsio Zamacois in Bilbao, began to play football games in Lamiako, and in 1898, seven football enthusiasts belonging to the Zamacois gym founded Athletic Club. Iraizoz is currently having one of the best seasons of his career, earning 10 clean sheets in 33 league appearances, while also boasting a goals-conceded-per-game average of 0.97 percent, via Squawka.com. He also won a hat-trick of League Cups. The first time was on 25 June 1966 on the 50th anniversary of Real Unin's founding. For this reason the Basque Football Federation proposed returning to the team's previous name, 'Euskadi' (Euskadiko Selekzioa), for the match scheduled for December 2008 against Iran. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The team has been referred to by various names including Euskadiko selekzioa, Euskal Herriko futbol selekzioa, Seleccin de Euskadi, Vasconia, Equipo Vasco, Euskadi XI and Basque XI. After his death in 1975, The team was up and running again, playing 26 friendly games so far against countries from around the world associated with FIFA however they themselves are not connected to FIFA. Laporte is one of the hottest young defenders in Europe right now after helping Athletic Club secure Champions League football for next season. Note: For this list, a player must be born in the Basque Country, have Basque parents/grandparents, or have spent enough time in the Basque Country to qualify, just asplayers today must do for other countries. In 2008, a compromise was reached and it was changed again to Euskal selekzioa. Alonso's passing and ability to dictate play would fit in perfectly with the Basque footballing style, and he would likely be able to go forward more than usual with Martinez covering the defensive duties. Later in May they travelled again to Cuba,[47] this time playing the Cuba national team twice, before returning to Mexico. Xabi Alonso is a World Cup winner who has also won almost everything else in his footballing career. In his first season back, he ended the clubs 18-year title drought. In the end the match was cancelled. [98] Eligible players can also choose not to be involved. Serge Blanco is the clubs president but he has been unable to prevent their steep dip in fortunes. 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