2 Reply Cyssero 6 yr. ago Many youth teams are taught to play with possession-based style and quick thinking. 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. In 2009 a consensus was reached to use the name 'Euskal Selekzioa'. In the lower grades (such as in the Spanish regional championship[es] for youths and the UEFA Regions' Cup for amateurs), the team is either called Euskadiko selekzioa or Seleccon del Pas Vasco and exclusively represents the Basque Country autonomous community (Euskadi), with Navarre competing separately. 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. Laporte is one of the hottest young defenders in Europe right now after helping Athletic Club secure Champions League football for next season. Each regional federation organised its own league, and also selected a team to play against other regions. Their first match with that name was against Cantabria on 29 November 1936 in Santander, when the Cantabrians won 32. [29][30][31] At the same time a choir called Eresoinka was formed to tour Europe for the same purpose. [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]. 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. There are several veteran players that would be able to lead the team, as well as plenty of young stars that would provide energy and a strong work ethic. [52], The second time was in San Mams, Bilbao, on 21 February 1971 when a memorial match for Juan Gardeazbal was played between the Basque Country and Catalonia. Can only sign and field Basque players. CA Osasuna was the only club with players called up for the match who refused to release them. This resulted in Carlos Garaikoetxea (the Lehendakari, head of the Basque regional parliament), the presidents of the regional councils and the mayors of the Basque capitals, all leaving the presidential box to sit elsewhere in the stadium to show their protest. This local rivalry was very strong in such a small town, but the success of these teams was important. This contrasts with their opponents, as the fixture does not contribute to their Association ranking points or individual cap totals and is thus one of the least significant matches out of several they would play each year. Lacuesta, often on the fringes at Saint-tienne, went on to play in the 1978 Uefa Cup final for Bastia and was in the side that won the 1981 French Cup final against his former club. [30] In May 1937 they toured France beating Olympique Marseille 25,[35] losing 31 to Ste, and playing Racing Paris twice more, 33 and 23. 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. 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. (Playing on PS5 btw) Reply . 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. He also won a hat-trick of League Cups. 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. The Basque Country team's estimated Elo was 1886 (fantasy rank: 16th; 31 December 2018). [20][21] They played once against the Argentine national side, losing 40, then drew 11 against Porteo, and finally winning 04 against a team selected from Argentina's interior league. [10][5] Their duels aroused great expectation and served as one of the drivers of football as a mass phenomenon in Bilbao. [2] This group of football pioneers were part of a multi-sports club called Club Atleta, which had been founded in late 1889. With Madrid, Petit reached the 1916 and 1917 Copa del Rey finals, winning the 1917 final with a virtuoso performance against Arenas Club de Getxo, before walking away from the club to join his hometown side Real Unin in Irun. Selecting a keeper for the Basque National is very easy, because there is already a first-choice in Athletic's Gorka Iraizoz. Jose Etxenagusia, painter. For now,EuskalSelekzioahas to settle for one friendly every year. On 3 January 1915 they played their first match which was against Catalonia in Bilbao and won 61,[9][10] and then on 7 February they played them again but in Barcelona, this time drawing 22. Mikel BalenziagaLB 5 of 16. The team consisted of the following players: Also attached to the team were Perico Birichinaga, as a masseur, and Ricardo Irezbal and Manu de la Sota, both as delegates.[33]. I know about Ruffier, Laporte and Griezmann. Media related to Basque Country association football team at Wikimedia Commons. I'm starting career mode with Bilbao and was wondering are there any relatively unknown french basque players in the game with decent OR? Some of the best French soccer players include national legends like Zinedane Zidane, Michel Platini, Thierry Henry, and David Trezeguet. 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. During the first year of the Spanish Civil War the Basque team changed its name to Euzkadiko selekzioa. Both players spent time in the Aviron Bayonnais FC youth system, a set-up that is still producing local Basque talent today. He can also feature as a centre-back, which makes him a very useful player in any squad. On 30 December 2016 a Basque Country XI took to the pitch against Tunisia. Thanks for the lists! Ren Petit is regarded by many to have been Real Madrids first superstar footballer. [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 man in France behind the humanitarian effort was the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, who had previously . [40][31] Lastly they travelled to Norway and Denmark in August[30] where they beat an stfold select (13), Norwegian AIF (23), and completed their biggest win to date against Denmark's DAI[dk] (111). [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. 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. Martinez would be a staple in the Basque national team. The 25-year-old is one of the best Basque players in the world and is very experienced, having recently won the Champions League with Bayern Munich and featuring regularly in the Spain national team. 165 Basque players signed a statement announcing that they would not play unless the team was called 'Euskal Herria'. Other stand-ins for Herrera would include Mikel Arteta, Benat and Raul Garica. 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. 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. In May 1937, the team began to have problems with FIFA. Regardless, having the experience and leadership of Alonso in the squad would be massive for a team that would be relatively untested on all fronts. It wasn't until 2011 that the promising midfielder made the return to the place of his birth, and he has been a driving force at Athletic ever since. If he was to play as a centre-back, then Ander Iturraspe could easily take his spot as holding midfielder. 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. [34] This happened to be the same day that Guernica was bombed by Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe. With the Basque Country being a very independent area that is constantly churning out top footballing prospects, it would be amazing to see the Basque national team one day competing against other European nations. He now has an eye for goal and is able to pull all of the strings in the middle of the pitch. Is there a way to edit player names on the YAP to make it more realistic? With the dip in fortunes of the regions rugby teams combined with the looming visage of Euro 2016 on the horizon, the traditionally rugby-centric region might just find its young people leaning a little more towards the round ball rather than the oval one in the coming years. Only played in one unofficial wartime international: See, Only played in two unofficial wartime international matches: See, Includes 1 match not counted by some sources: See. In 1922 separate teams were created for Biscay and Cantabria because the former decided to form their own federation (Biscayan Federation).[18][19]. The Basque National Team would likely utilize a 4-2-3-1 formation, as is normally the case, however, a 4-3-3 or even a 4-3-2-1 is not out of the question. The likes of Ruben Pardo and Asier Illarramendi are also immensely talented despite their age and would add a lot to the squad. 'The fact is that it was that derby between our two teams that had endured as my best football memory - and that is despite the fact that we lost 5-0', Iribar told El Pais 35 years later. 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. [27][28] [30][41] FC Barcelona had undertaken a similar tour a few months earlier. This is rugby union territory. The team plays in the biennial UEFA Regions' Cup; they won the overall pan-European tournament in 2005, having won the preceding Spanish qualifying tournament in 200304. The first game following the dictatorship was played on 2 March 1978 in San Mams against the USSR. [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. In 2008, a compromise was reached and it was changed again to Euskal selekzioa. Lizarazu was a product of Les Eglantins youth set-up and was picked up by Bordeaux, the nearest big club to the French Basque country, a club that Bergeroo also served as a player. The Basque Country has had a football team of its own since 1930. 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. Llorente is best known for being able to score headers from anywhere in the box, but he has a strong shot. Real Sociedad are the better team in the second half, but they don't equalise . And, though he wouldn't be among the best around at his position, there are many keepers going to the World Cup this summer who are not on the same level as Iraizoz. Currently, Martinez is leading the back line of Real Sociedad. There really is only one man who would be the best candidate to lead the Basque national teamAthletic Club legend Ernesto Valverde. The Spanish civil war ended in April 1939 so when the season ended the team was broken up and as a reward each member received 10,000 pesetas. Despite only accounting for just 1.4% of all Spanish territory, 4 of the 10 founding members of the inaugural Spanish . It is home to Aviron Bayonnais, three-time French champions of the oval ball (although the last of those successes came in 1943). Juan de Echevarra, painter. You won't be finding first team ready players at any of these clubs. Bernard Blancan, actor. The area has never produced a successful football club, but it has given France some of its most successful players. Griezmann is a fast winger who loves to run with the ball and take a lot of shots. In 2010 however, although there was still no agreement between players and federation, the players agreed to play the match to be played on 29 December in San Mames, between the Basque Country and Venezuela, which ended 31. A French League Cup success in his second season at Monaco was coupled with a title challenge that finished just one point shy of glory. 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. He also played for France at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp. The 33-year-old is one of the most dependable keepers in La Liga and is a regular in Basque friendlies. With Basque spoken readily, they must be the only tri-lingual football fans in the world, apart from the Dutch. This Asturias/Cantabria XI participated in the 1917 and 1918 editions of the Copa del Prncipe de Asturias, finishing third and second respectively. [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. 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. Martinez is one of the best holding midfielders in Spain and will definitely be on his way to the World Cup this summer. Like the rest of Spain, it is in the midfield that the Basques would boast their biggest talents. Deschamps then returned to Marseille. Players who are still active for the national team are players who have not retired from football (although they may have retired from their FIFA international team) and are, subsequently, eligible to be called up. 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. [73][74], On 28 December 2014, a centenary match was played in San Mames against Catalonia to celebrate 100 years since the first match between these two sides. 8 Iribar, widely known as 'El Chopo' (The Popular), is an eminent figure of Basque . 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. His passing ability is exquisite and he loves tracking back to make tackles as well. Camren Bicondova, actress. He could also slip back into defence if needed without the team skipping much of a beat. [87] However, the tournament was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. French keeper Stephane Ruffier is also Basque and could fight for a starting role. [38][39] But many clubs and national sides continued to play the Basque team because they sympathised with Republican Spain which the team symbolised. [2][4][9] While Athletic Club was mainly formed by local players, having only one foreigner in its ranks, Alfred Mills,[3] Bilbao FC was mostly made up by foreigners, such as Walter Evans, George Langford, William Dyer, and George Cockram. 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. Andoni Iraola could also start at right-back with Azpilicueta on the left. Mediterranean Games selection only, no full caps. Despite this hope for an upturn in fortunes, they are unlikely to threaten the higher professional divisions, but they can still retain ambitions of unearthing the next French Basque star in the making. [51] Don Santiago Bernabu had the honour of kicking off. [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. [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. [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. Marta Etura, actress. The defence could be stacked as well. Hyperleap helps uncover and suggest. [55] The team were called the 'Seleccin Vasca' and drew 00. Quick and creative forwards would be able to do the work up front and provide plenty of goals. Hector Elizondo, actor. There is, however, another Aviron Bayonnais, a team that kicks the round ball. 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. Laporte gained Spanish citizenship due to time spent living in Biscay (2010 to 2018). Christian Sarramagna and Flix Lacuesta played their part in AS Saint-tiennes domination of French football in the mid-1970s. Beyond Gorka Iraizoz, there are other promising keepers. [31] Their only loss was against Spartak Moscow. I also tend to scoute for youth academy players in france and spain and pretend they are from Basque, but the players have "Un-Basque" names. Had this been one year ago, Mikel Balenziaga would not even be on the reserves of this list. The defender from Pamplona is quick and very smart. 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. At international level Deschamps clocked up 103 appearances for Les Bleus and was, of course, the captain when they won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. After the team had arrived back in Spain on 5 October 1922, the players resumed playing for either Biscay or Gipuzkoa. Aviron Bayonnais FC play their home games at the 3,500-capacity Stade Didier Deschamps. For faster navigation, this Iframe is preloading the Wikiwand page for Category:Footballers from the Basque Country (autonomous community) . In addition to Athletic and Bilbao FC, more teams were founded such as San Sebastin Recreation Club in 1903, the first club in San Sebastin, followed by Vasconia and Real Sociedad, and Irun FC in 1906,[7] who later changed its name to Irn Sporting Club. [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]. Iker Hernandez and Guillermo have been lighting up the lower divisions and would provide an energetic spark that often comes in handy. [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. 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