They are unremarkable club in so many ways. [7] During the Second Spanish Republic, they played firstly under the name of Baskoniako selekzioa (the Vasconia team) and then from 1936 as Euzkadiko selekzioa (the Euskadi team). Eden might be the better footballer, but he doesn't have the best name in the family. 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 Like the rest of Spain, it is in the midfield that the Basques would boast their biggest talents. In his first season back, he ended the clubs 18-year title drought. All of the players listed were either born or raised in the Basque region, with most meeting both of those criteria. Notable former players include Spanish World Cup. Then, in 2007, after 69 years without playing outside Spain, the Basque Country faced Venezuela in San Cristbal, winning 43. Players who have already appeared for a FIFA national team can play for the Basques in addition, but if they are simultaneously called up for both, the FIFA squad (usually Spain) takes precedence. They slipped to relegation from the Top 14 last season just two years after winning the European Challenge Cup, rugby unions now discontinued equivalent of the Europa League. Each regional federation organised its own league, and also selected a team to play against other regions. From there Petit was sent to Madrid for further schooling and with regular organised football on the curriculum he was soon spotted by the then FC Madrid, the club that, with royal patronage, would later become Real Madrid. 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. Their first game was against Catalonia on 8 June 1930, which they won by 01 in Montjuc, and they played Catalonia again on 1 January 1931 in Bilbao, winning that match 32.[7]. This complicated situation of federations splitting off continued for a few more years. Both clubs merged later in 1915. The defence could be stacked as well. Mikel Oyarzabal, perhaps Real Sociedad's most important player, was selected for both the Euros and Olympic squads and is now a fully fledged Spain international, despite previously playing one. The motto used to describe the reasoning behind it is Con cantera y aficin, no hace falta importacin (English: "with home-grown . He is able to dance his way through defenders with ease and has become more of a creator in recent years. Couple that with young talents such as Joseba Zaldua and the Basque Country has a lot of options to choose from. WhetherLlorente would elect to represent the Basque Country or not is a big question. [1] In the late 1870s, various English workers scattered throughout the peninsula began to establish informal groups that were dedicated to different recreational practices, especially cricket and football, particularly in Spanish ports, such as the ones in Vigo, Andalusia, (Huelva and Seville) and Bilbao, who were the regions that most felt this phenomenon. Before all of these players were even born, arguably the most gifted French Basque player of all time had played his last game of football. The likes of Ruben Pardo and Asier Illarramendi are also immensely talented despite their age and would add a lot to the squad. Includes a friendly match against former FR Yugoslavia on 26 December 1997, Record vs non-FIFA teams / As 'North' region, Matches against the 'Central Federation' (. The Basque Country national football team (Basque: Euskal selekzioa) represents the Basque Country in football. [84][103], The Elo rating system was adapted for football by adding a weighting for the type of match, an adjustment for the home team advantage, and an adjustment for goal difference in the match result. Despite his age, Martinez plays with a commanding presence and isn't one to shyaway from a challenge. [31] They then toured the country during that summer, playing against Lokomotiv Moscow (15), Dynamo Moscow twice (12) and (47), Dinamo Leningrad (22), Spartak Moscow (62), Dynamo Kiev (13), Dinamo Tbilisi (02), the Georgian football team (13), and finally Dinamo Minsk (16). 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. Clubs (excluding reserve and woman's sections), challenge the British team in 1894 to a match at Lamiako, Category:Football in the Basque Country (autonomous community), "Total Football: History of Spanish football (I): The Origins", "El Club Atleta de los Astilleros del Nervin (1889-1894) y el Athletic Club de Bilbao (1901-)", "The Englishmen's Field: The place where football took root in Bilbao", "La historia del Athletic en 10 momentos", "The history of Athletic Bilbao: 1898-1936", "Football Travel in Spain - Basque Country Guide", "Spain trip day 3: Youth football at Athletic | NorCal Premier", "Soccer, Culture and Society in Spain: An Ethnography of Basque Fandom", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Football_in_the_Basque_Country&oldid=1138199153, Football in the Basque Country (autonomous community), CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Short description with empty Wikidata description, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 8 February 2023, at 14:36. 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. Place of Birth: Zumarraga, Basque Country. 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. Finish off the alternatives list with quality stars such asAnder Iturraspe and Raul Garcia and we really begin to get a picture of how strong the Basque midfield can be. In 2009 a consensus was reached to use the name 'Euskal Selekzioa'. He excels in using his physicality and ability to read the game to make things hard for opponents, while also being one of the best aerial defenders around. Most of the players stayed on in the Americas and joined teams there. While he is rarely caught out of position, he does have decent enough pace to run down many attackers who get in behind the defense. Biarritz is also home to some world-class surfing tournaments, while the racquet sport of Basque pelota is popular across the entire region. Also played in 1 additional unofficial wartime match in 1938: See, Only played in two unofficial wartime internationals: See, Only played in eight unofficial wartime international matches: See, Last edited on 18 February 2023, at 22:36, Basque Country national football team results, Spain national football team results (unofficial matches)#1965, Spain national football team results (unofficial matches)#1913, Spain national football team results (unofficial matches)#1937, Spain national football team results (unofficial matches), Spain national football team results (unofficial matches)#1953, Spain national football team results (unofficial matches)#1936, Spain national football team results (unofficial matches)#1947, Spain national football team results (unofficial matches)#1985, Spain national football team results (unofficial matches)#1920, Spain national football team results (unofficial matches)#1962, Spain national football team results (unofficial matches)#1940, Spain national football team results (unofficial matches)#1933, Spain national football team results (unofficial matches)#1938, Spain national football team results (unofficial matches)#1960, Spain national football team results (unofficial matches)#1988, Spain national football team results (unofficial matches)#1934, Spain national football team results (unofficial matches)#1966, "Xabi Alonso, Fernando Llorente and the Best Basque Players: A Starting XI", "Basque Greatest All-time 23 member team", "Catalonia and Basque Country reignite call for independent national football identities", "Basque Country: The Spain internationals playing for a different team", List of all Basque players who have played international football, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Basque_footballers&oldid=1140192464, This page was last edited on 18 February 2023, at 22:36. 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. French football president Noel Le Graet resigns amid harassment investigation Noel Le Graet has resigned as president of France's football federation amid a scandal including sexual harassment . The first game following the dictatorship was played on 2 March 1978 in San Mams against the USSR. In all likelihood, Griezmann would still choose to represent France and has been listed in the country's squad list for the World Cup. Had this been one year ago, Mikel Balenziaga would not even be on the reserves of this list. Anchored on a very strong defense with experienced holding midfielders in front, the Basques would make things difficult for any opponent. 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. During Franco's 36-year dictatorship it only played two games. [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. '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. Head-to-head against other Autonomous Communities, Liga Mexicana de Football Amateur Association, List of Basque Country international footballers, Basque Country national football team results, Basque Country women's national football team, "Para Prieto todo empez contra Honduras", "Basque Country: The Spain internationals playing for a different team", "ABC newspaper archive, 2 January 1931, in Spanish", "Mundo Deportivo newspaper, 21 December 1914 in Spanish", "Vizcaya-Gupscoa The lawsuit gives the contrast with National Committee", "La Federacion Norte contina su asambleas", "El Equipo Vasco est en camino de Amrica", "En el Uruguay, pierden nuevamente por 31", "El Mundo Deportivo newspaper archive, 28 August 1922, in Spanish", "ABC newspaper, 6 October 1922, in Spanish", "Gran triufo de la seleccion Vizcaina sobre la Asturiana", "La orgullosa gnesis de la Seleccin Vasca de Ftbol", "La seleccin de Euskadi parte para Amrica (1937)", "Todos los futbolistas vascos siguen a las rdenes de su Gobierno", "De la Seleccion Vasca que triumf esplndidamente", "Apre un match joue sous la pluie, l'OM battu est devenu Champion de France", "La FIFA reconoce la beligerancia a Franco? In 2008, a compromise was reached and it was changed again to Euskal selekzioa. [78] Eventually, a fixture was arranged for the Basque team to face Venezuela in October 2018 at Mendizorroza,[79] which they won 42. It selects players from the Basque Country autonomous community, Navarre and the French Basque Country [5] and is organised by the Basque Football Federation. Basque football hinges on having a strong defense, fast wingers and a target man who can finish off chances. 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. Anyone else? Christian Sarramagna and Flix Lacuesta played their part in AS Saint-tiennes domination of French football in the mid-1970s. [2] By 1892 the sheer quantity of Englishmen playing football on La Campa de los Ingleses forced them to seek another pitch that could properly accommodate the growing population of Brits, and so, in November 1892, the president of Club Atleta, Enrique Jones Bird, asked for permission to play in the Hippodrome of Lamiako. More than any other area of the pitch, picking who would fill the midfield roster spots would be almost impossible for the Basque national team. The Basque Country has had a football team of its own since 1930. Some of the best French soccer players include national legends like Zinedane Zidane, Michel Platini, Thierry Henry, and David Trezeguet. Only played in one unofficial wartime international: Only played in three unofficial wartime international: See. The left-footed defender is known for his physicality and ability to handle aerial battles, but he is also a very good passer. 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. 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. 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. Hyperleap helps uncover and suggest. Contrary to popular belief, Fernando Llorente isn't the only talent forward who could represent the Basque Country. Imanol Agirretxe has also turned out to be quite a lethal finisher up front for Real Sociedad and would fight for a place as well. 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