Etxeberria's Generous Act Shows Just Why Athletic Bilbao Are "More Than a Club"

For those that don’t know the story, or perhaps missed the headlines, then perhaps I can recap. Joseba Etxeberria, a long-serving player for Athletic Bilbao has offered to play for the club for free next season, which it is believed will be his last before retirement. Etxeberria is believed to be aiming to reach the landmark of 500 games played for Athletic Bilbao.

While much of the focus following this generous achievement has undoubtedly been on Etxeberria and his sincere act of goodwill, I thought that the act itself illustrated perhaps a bit more, beyond Joseba’s generous nature. The act itself spoke volumes for Athletic Bilbao as a club, for its principles, its fan and the very nature of the club itself.

For FC Barcelona, the motto of the club is "more than a club". For those who don’t know, this motto is itself perhaps bigger than the club itself. For the club itself is not merely a football club, but they are in fact a nation, or rather the hopes of a nation—the Catalan nation.

For the past century FC Barcelona have been one of the key vehicles for Catalan nationalism, fostering a sense of unity and identity in times of persecution under Franco and always allowing Catalan nationalism an international stage on which to show itself.                                 

Yet perhaps the motto "more than a club" could be applied to another club very much in a similar position to FC Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao. Athletic Bilbao are perhaps the lesser known of the two independent "national" clubs in Spain, but are nevertheless as important to its fans as FC Barcelona are to theirs.

Athletic Bilbao are very much the club of the Basque country. A club, whose very existence encapsulates the Basque people, the importance of their people, and indeed their nation.

They are a club who in the early 30’s were Spain’s most successful team, featuring a fine team including Pichichi (whom the Spanish top scorer annual award is named after). Yet after the Spanish Civil War, a different Athletic Bilbao emerged, for both fans and players.

With General Franco taking over Spain and attempting to make Spain a more united nation, nationalism amongst Spain’s regional autonomies became suppressed and as such the minority nationalism and desires for autonomy of both the Catalan and Basque people were actively clamped down on.

While not wishing to go into the tricky debates over Basque nationalism, and the pros and cons of their arguments, with regard to Athletic Bilbao under Franco the club itself took on a new and very distinct meaning.

The club came to symbolise Basque nationalism, and when they beat Spanish teams, and especially Real Madrid, it was like the Basque nation itself was winning over Spain.

Another factor which helps foster this link between Athletic Bilbao and Basque nationalism is the club’s ultra-successful and famous "cantera" policy. The club itself are probably unique around the world for fielding players of one nationality—Basque.

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