About the Basque Country

Last summer was all about Real Madrid. First Kakà, then Cristiano Ronaldo and later Karim Benzema, Alvaro Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso. Eighteen TV shows and thirty newspapers, but it was always Real Madrid that dominated the media. Even Champions League winner FC Barcelona couldn''t win the media battle, despite their ''09 treble and the signing of Inter''s Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

No one seemed to notice that Negredo became the most expensive football player in Seville''s history; Nilmar in Villareal''s or, strangely enough, that Valencia''s David Villa did not become the most expensive signing ever in Spanish football.

Home-grown players

If even FC Barcelona and Valencia CF are being more or less ignored, what must smaller clubs do to get the media''s attention? In today''s ever-declining lack of morality, ethics and loyalty in football, maybe it would be a good idea to give clubs like Athletic Bilbao some media coverage just by way of support?

Let''s rewind to Wednesday 27th May 2009, for example. The Champions League final between FC Barcelona and Manchester United. Counting on both sides, there were nine local players on the pitch. It really gets you reminiscing about the old days; the 1967 European Cup for example. What happened to the days when Celtic Glasgow won the cup with players who were born within 30 miles of Glasgow?

Athletic Club

Formed by British migrant quarrymen in 1898, Athletic sort of became a romanticized club. With the current transfer culture, it''s a club that should be put on a pedestal; cheap (or in Madrid''s case expensive) imports almost brought the great youth systems of Europe to their knees.

When you think of all the great names that have played at the San Mames stadium, such as Telmo Zarra, José Ángel Iribar and Joseba Etxeberria, they''re all Basque; they hail from the Basque region of Northern Spain. And what makes the club even more interesting is that since 1912 Athletic has consisted only of Basque players. Will we ever see Arsenal play with football players who were all born in London?

Athletic Club Bilbao defied the globalization of football and tried to protect its values and fundamental beliefs in an age when football is slowly changing into a world filled with greed, money and self-interest.

Feeling Basque

This policy of Cantera (quarry) is one that the club, the supporters and the Basque people are very proud of and which they cherish. The club is keeping the survival and promotion of Basque football alive, they pick from their own talent rather than importing it. ''Con cantera y aficion, no hace falta importacion'', in English: with home-grown talent and local support, you don''t need foreigners. It''s a voice that screams ''we are Basque!''.

During the Franco regime, the Basques suffered terrible suppression; their language, culture and lifestyle were all forbidden because they didn''t go along with the ideal of a one-nation Spain. FC Barcelona is known worldwide for ''Més que un club'' (more than a club), but Athletic goes a step further in their philosophy.

Critics

Still, not everyone looks on Athletic Club as the perfect football club. Most critics mainly come from outside the Basque Country, but perhaps they have a point? The idea of ''the Cantera'' poses limitations on Bilbao''s progress. While it has a reputation in football history as a genuinely local club, it has also been somewhat left behind when it comes to recent successes.

Nonetheless, Athletic Club stays statistically one of Spain''s four biggest clubs with eight league titles and 24 Copas del Rey. Also, along with Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, Los Leones are the only club which has never played outside the highest division.

Not bad considering they are up against teams like Real and Barcelona, who can open their cheque books and transfer anybody from the entire world if they so wish. When you keep their historical successes in mind, they are only third behind Real Madrid and Barcelona in terms of league winning titles.

Nowadays, the policy of ''Cantera'' has sadly become outdated. It''s a walk down memory lane to a more romantic age of football.