The Basque Country national football team (Euskal selekzioa) selects players from the Greater Basque region comprising the Basque Autonomous Community (Biscay, lava and Gipuzkoa) plus neighbouring Navarre the historical home of the Basque people but in modern times has a distinct identity which is only partly Basque, and home to CA Osasuna at club level within Spain, and the three small provinces making up the Northern Basque Country in France, a territory where rugby union is very popular but has produced some talented players. CA Osasuna was the only club with players called up for the match who refused to release them. Selecting a keeper for the Basque National is very easy, because there is already a first-choice in Athletic's Gorka Iraizoz. Thorgan Hazard. He is able to dance his way through defenders with ease and has become more of a creator in recent years. The Basque Country would first have to become independent to field their own team in competitive tournaments, and even then eligibility to play for the team would likely be a tense affairs with so many players having already represented other countries. WhetherLlorente would elect to represent the Basque Country or not is a big question. When Bilbao was captured by Franco's forces on 19 June 1937 the Basque team were in Moscow, having been invited by the Soviet Union's Politburo due to political motivations. Also played in 1 additional unofficial wartime match in 1937: See. [16] With the Basque representative team organised on only an occasional, unofficial basis, the region has provided a long list of players for the Spanish national team throughout its history, particularly in the early decades of the 20th century when a high proportion of the top players across the whole league were Basque due to the sport's popularity in the region, but also in subsequent periods due to the focus on homegrown talent by the major clubs (although this is true to a certain extent across Spain, with all the leading teams using a long-established cantera system of youth development). His passing ability is exquisite and he loves tracking back to make tackles as well. Firstly on 25 May they visited Estonia, winning 12,[69] then on 28 December they played their last game in the old San Mams against Tunisia, losing 02. [58] Iraragorri and Langara (two players from the 1937 team) kicked off, and Iribar served as captain. [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. They stayed there for three months but officially played no matches due to their problems with FIFA. Juan de Echevarra, painter. Hector Elizondo, actor. Eduardo Chillida, sculptor. In May 1937, the team began to have problems with FIFA. The Agen-born Aymeric Laporte, another player who came through the same youth system and is wanted by several Premier League clubs, has gone on to become only the second French player to appear in the red and white stripes of Athletic Bilbao. Bilbao captain, Jose Angel Iribar and the Sociedad captain, Inaxio Kortabarria carrying Basque national flag. Beyond Gorka Iraizoz, there are other promising keepers. [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. [17] In 1919 the Asturians decided to form their own federation (Federacin Regional Asturiana de Clubes de Ftbol) so the Cantabrian teams rejoined 'Norte', but now it only had teams from Cantabria and Biscay. 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. In June, they played Czechoslovakia again losing 21. Basque Country score listed first in all matches. They can be found in the fifth tier of their domestic league but are looking to return to the fourth tier after their most recent relegation in 2012-13. [87] However, the tournament was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ", "Ha prohibido la Federacion Holandesa el match Rotterdam-Seleccion Vasca? But that has all changed since the 26-year-old returned to his boyhood Athletic Club Bilbao last summer. In 2011 the Basque football team played two matches. The match itself, described in the press as "boring at times", "bland" and "poor", petered out into a goalless draw in humid conditions, although both coaches stated they were satisfied with the outcome and the effort shown. Regardless, Basque football is reaching a new age and the world needs to pay attention. [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. [2], The new Bilbao FC was officially established shortly after its foundation since its regulations were approved by the civil governor and printed in 1901. Some of the very best footballers to play the beautiful game have come from France, most notably, the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Mitchell Platini, to mention a few. 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. French Basque players in FIFA 20 . That said, the Euskal Selekzioa would definitely be a very competitive team. In 2009 a consensus was reached to use the name 'Euskal Selekzioa'. The result was Euskal Herria 1, Catalonia 1.[61]. 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. [1][4][6][8] Two years later, Carlos Castellanos and his brother Manuel, together with a group of young Bilbainos from the upper class who had studied in England and learned about football there, founded the Bilbao Football Club (not related with the Bilbao club that existed in 189293, formed by the British) on 30 November 1900 in the Biscayan neighborhood of Algorta. The Juventus target man would be able to capitalize on the wealth of crosses that he would see every game and would easily lead the Basque national team in scoring. It is also interesting to note that South American strikers Gonzalo Higuain, who speaks perfect Basque, and Diego Forlan both have Basque blood due to family members. There are also current France football stars such as Kylian Mbapp, Antoine Griezmann, and N'golo Kant, who are making an impact across the globe. The Basque Country boasts a deep pool of talent at the back. Like the rest of Spain, it is in the midfield that the Basques would boast their biggest talents. 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. 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. Petit retired from the game a year later. They are unremarkable club in so many ways. Prior to the rise of Petit, the Spanish game resembled disorganised chaos, his footballing brain seemingly bringing a new era of calm and beauty to the sport. Real Unin were relegated from La Liga in 1932 and have failed to return since. Historic clubs like Athletic Club Bilbao and RealSociedadhave seen major success throughout the decades, and they are once more making their presence felt in the country. At that time it would have been ranked third in the world, behind only Italy and Argentina, and above the likes of Scotland, Spain, England and Hungary. [44] FIFA demanded that Cuba should not play the Basque Country. [14] In May 1916, 'Norte' faced Catalonia twice in Barcelona, winning by 13 on the 21st,[15] and drawing 00 on the 22nd. 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. Mediterranean Games selection only, no full caps. In the first decade of their existence Athletic selected English players for the team, but since 1912 they have adhered to a policy of allowing only players born in the Basque Country or who learned their football skills at a Basque club to play for them. [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. [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]. In Vitoria-Gasteiz there is Alavs, who went from fourth-tier football to Uefa Cup finalists in just over a decade in the 1990s. Olympic Games selection only, no full caps. It selects players from the Basque Country autonomous community, Navarre and the French Basque Country[5] and is organised by the Basque Football Federation. Just three miles from Biarritz youll find Bayonne, where there is a great love of bull-fighting, which plays a large part in the five-day Ftes de Bayonne festival during early August. Likewise, it was the British employees of the Nervin Shipyards, located in Sestao (Vizcaya), who organized and played the first known football match in the region, which was held on 4 April 1890, between the Machinery Department (engineers) and the Shipyard Workers, ending in an 81 to the former. 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. For a list of recent Basque Country national team players, Jos ngel Iribar and Xabier Expsito, 19932001, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 04:07. Develop a world class academy . [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. He excels in balancing when to go forward and when to stay back, and he is known for being a player who doesn't take unnecessary risks. [13] Football and Basque nationalism are closely knitted throughout history and would go through significant historical events such as the Spanish Civil War, and the creation of Francoist Spain. If Alonso was to snub the Basque National Team, Iturraspe could fill in for him, as could Real Madrid teammate Asier Illarramendi, who is already seen as the 32-year-old's eventual replacement. and all live games on the official website of the French Football Ligue. Aviron Bayonnais FC continue to play in the regionalised amateur levels of the French pyramid. [25] 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. During the first year of the Spanish Civil War the Basque team changed its name to Euzkadiko selekzioa. [31] Their only loss was against Spartak Moscow. [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. He knows how to take the ball off of an attacker and isn't afraid to make a difficult tackle. The recent re-emergence ofAthletic Club BilbaoandRealSociedadhas put Basque football back on the map. He can also feature as a centre-back, which makes him a very useful player in any squad. Not only has the 24-year-old become the best Spaniard at his position, he may very well be one of the best full-backs in the world. Biarritz Olympique, as six-time French champions and twice beaten finalists in the Heineken Cup, are one of the countrys leading clubs. [74][92][93][94][5] There is a lot of support for this within the Basque Country, with recent polls showing up to 63,5% of basques support the idea (including the French Basque Country and Navarre).[95]. There really is only one man who would be the best candidate to lead the Basque national teamAthletic Club legend Ernesto Valverde. Head coach: Javier Clemente In 1902, the two rivals agreed to join the best players of each club to play two games against the Bordeaux-based side Burdigala, beating them 02 in France, the first time a Bilbao team played on foreign territory, and 70 in Lamiako, the very first visit by a foreign team to Bilbao, gathering a crowd of three thousand spectators, a tremendous amount at the time. 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. Not only is Bixente Lizarazu one of the most-decorated French players of all-time, he is one of the most successful Basque players of all-time. [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. Valverde returned to Athletic last summer and has guided the club back to glory in La Liga, earning a fourth place finish and Champions League football next season. Both players spent time in the Aviron Bayonnais FC youth system, a set-up that is still producing local Basque talent today. 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