Different from the Rest #1 - Season One

Introduction

The football world is often driven by money, transfers, and the endless search for new superstars. At most clubs, success is built by buying the best players from all corners of the globe. However, there is one club on the map of Spain that has been going down a completely different path for over a century.

That club is Athletic Club from Bilbao.

A club that has remained faithful to its unique philosophy. A club that decided to be different from the rest.

For decades, Athletic has based its squad almost entirely on players born or raised in the Basque Country. In an era of globalization, multi-million transfers, and international squads, this is something absolutely extraordinary. And yet, this idea has survived and continues to be the foundation of the club's identity.

For many fans, Athletic is more than just a football team. It is a symbol of pride, tradition, and devotion to their roots. The San Mamés stadium is not just a matchday venue, it is the heartbeat of Basque football.

Because in Bilbao, football has never been just a game.

It is tradition. It is identity. It is a way of life.

And above all, it is the story of a club that decided to be different from the rest.

Transfers

The summer transfer window in Bilbao, as always, follows its own rules. The club's unique philosophy means our maneuvering room in the market is severely limited, but at the same time, every single signing carries immense weight. At Athletic Club, it is never about quantity, it is about quality and alignment with our Basque identity.

This window, two players have joined the squad.

The first is right-back Jesus Areso, who arrives from Osasuna for a fee of 12 million euros. He is a player well-known to Spanish football fans, dynamic, aggressive in the tackle, and highly active going forward. He comes in to reinforce the right side of our defense and increase competition for that starting spot.

The second, and highly sentimental signing, is the return of Aymeric Laporte. The Athletic academy graduate returns to Bilbao after years spent playing in Asia, with the club buying him back from his previous team for 10 million euros. For many fans, this is more than just a standard transfer, it is the homecoming of one of our own, who is set to become the pillar of our defense once again.

In terms of departures, the club said goodbye to only one player. Inigo Lekue has left the team, moving to a club in the Middle East for a fee of 1.5 million euros.

While the transfer business was not extensive, big revolutions are never the way in Bilbao. Here, the priority is always about strengthening the squad in a calculated manner that respects the club's philosophy.

Squad

August and September: The Start of the Season

We kicked off our pre-season preparations with a series of friendlies. During this warm-up period, Athletic Club faced several opponents, including Barakaldo, Fulham, and Monaco.

The results in these friendlies were not the main priority. Our primary focus was on implementing the right tactical setup, building team cohesion, and testing different formation variants. The main goal of pre-season was to fully prepare the squad for what promised to be a very demanding start to the league campaign.

And demanding it certainly was. Right out of the gate in La Liga, we faced fixtures against the league top sides: Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, and Valencia.

The fixture list was unforgiving, but despite that, the team showed great character. In our opening four matches, we managed to secure two highly valuable victories, defeating Atletico Madrid and Valencia, which gave us a fantastic launchpad for our league campaign.

We started our UEFA Champions League campaign in equally impressive fashion. In our first match of the league phase, we went head-to-head with Sturm Graz and stormed to a convincing 5-0 victory. It was a powerful statement that this Bilbao side can make some serious noise on the European stage this season.

The start of the season has proven one thing, despite a brutal schedule, Athletic is more than capable of competing with the very best.

October and December: An Inconsistent but Effective Autumn

The following months of the season brought Athletic Club fans a true emotional rollercoaster. The team proved capable of playing brilliant football and dominating opponents, yet we also suffered a few unexpected slip-ups along the way.

In La Liga, however, we managed to maintain quite a solid run of form. Along the way, we secured a victory against Real Betis, among others, and the fans at the San Mamés Stadium were treated to some real attacking masterclasses. One of them was a resounding 5-0 win over Villarreal. Even more chaotic was the clash against Girona, which ended in a jaw-dropping 8-3 victory for us.

Unfortunately, the team also displayed a less stable side. We slumped to unexpected defeats against theoretically weaker opponents like Rayo Vallecano and Getafe. These results served as a harsh reminder that there are no easy matches in the Spanish top flight.

The competition in the UEFA Champions League proved to be even more challenging. In Europe, we crossed swords with highly demanding opponents, ultimately having to concede defeat against Olympiacos, Benfica, and Marseille.

Yet, there were still plenty of positives to take away. At home, we managed to fight hard for a highly valuable draw against Manchester City, proving once again that we can go toe-to-toe with Europe's elite. On top of that, we added a victory against Monaco to our tally, keeping our hopes alive for a strong finish in the European campaign.

All in all, autumn was a period packed with drama, from spectacular, high-scoring victories to painful defeats. One thing remained certain, though: the squad fought in every single fixture and showed that this season, they are still more than capable of springing a few surprises.

January and February: Fighting on Multiple Fronts

The new year kicked off at a relentless pace for Athletic Club. With the squad competing across several tournaments simultaneously, the fans were treated to yet another stretch of high-stakes drama.

Our first major test came in the Spanish Super Cup. In the semi-final, we crossed paths with Atletico Madrid and put in a stellar performance to secure a 2-1 win, locking in our place in the final. Waiting for us there were our long-standing rivals from Catalonia, Barcelona.

The final was an incredibly tight affair, ending in a 1-1 draw after extra time. With nothing to separate the sides, the trophy had to be decided by a penalty shootout. Unfortunately, Barcelona held their nerve better from the spot, leaving us to settle for the runners-up spot.

Parallel to this, we began our run in the Spanish Cup. We started with three consecutive 2-1 victories, brushing aside Cadiz, Cartagena, and Cordoba. In the first leg of the semi-final, we faced Rayo Vallecano in a match that turned into an absolute goal-fest, storming to a staggering 8-4 victory and taking a massive step toward the final.

There was no shortage of drama in La Liga either. One of the absolute highlights was a sensational 2-1 triumph over Barcelona at San Mames, a source of immense pride for our fans. On the flip side, we also suffered a massive disappointment, a painful 2-6 heavy defeat at the hands of Valencia.

Meanwhile, things were going incredibly well in the UEFA Champions League. In the final matches of the league phase, we managed to take down two German powerhouses, Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt. Thanks to these crucial wins, we finished the league phase in 10th place, advancing to the knockout rounds.

There, we drew a true giant of European football, Bayern Munich. The first leg ended in a hard-fought 2-2 draw, leaving the tie wide open. The return leg at San Mames turned into an instant classic. After an absolute thriller of a match, we edged it 4-3, sending the stadium into euphoria and celebrating a monumental qualification to the next round of the Champions League.

The start of the year proved beyond doubt that this Athletic side can compete at the highest level, both domestically and on the grandest European stages.

March and May: The Decisive Months of the Season

The business end of the season was a true test of character for Athletic Club. The squad was still fighting on multiple fronts, but with each passing week, it became evident that the grueling campaign was beginning to take its toll on the players.

In the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, we crossed paths with Newcastle United. The first leg at the San Mamés Stadium ended in a 1-1 draw, leaving the tie wide open. We played the second leg in England full of hope, but after a fiercely contested match, we fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat and had to say goodbye to our European run.

The Copa del Rey semi-final second leg also brought plenty of drama. Despite our heavy victory over Rayo Vallecano in the first leg, the return fixture proved to be a massive struggle. Our opponents piled on the pressure throughout the entire match, relentlessly attacking our goal. In the end, we suffered a 3-0 defeat, but fortunately, it was not enough for them to force extra time, allowing us to celebrate booking our place in the final.

Waiting for us in the showpiece match was Real Betis. The first half was an incredibly tight, cagey affair, but right on the stroke of halftime, in the 45th minute, Marc Roca scored a goal to give Betis the lead just before the whistle.

The second half followed a similar pattern, both sides fought fiercely for every inch of grass, and for the longest time, it looked as though the scoreline would not change. Everything turned upside down in the dying embers of the match. In the 90th minute, our substitute Robert Navarro stepped onto the pitch and pulled off the unthinkable, netting two quick-fire goals to completely turn the game on its head. Thanks to his heroics, Athletic clinched the trophy and lifted the Copa del Rey!

In La Liga, the exhaustion of a long and demanding season became quite apparent. The team form was inconsistent, trading crucial wins with frustrating draws and slip-ups. Nevertheless, through sheer grit and determination, we managed to secure a highly respectable 5th place finish in the league table, which can be considered a very solid outcome.

The campaign concluded with a bittersweet mix of emotions, while our European adventure came to an end, lifting the Copa del Rey and finishing among the league elite gave the fans in Bilbao plenty of reasons to celebrate.

Lezama: The Future of Athletic

For decades, the world-renowned Lezama academy has stood as one of the ultimate foundations of Athletic Club. It is the very place where successive generations of players are nurtured, destined to reinforce the first team in the future and uphold the unique philosophy of the Bilbao club.

This season, our youth prospects proved that the club's future is in incredibly safe hands. The Division de Honor Juvenil side took their league group by storm, finishing in 1st place with a staggering 85 points, which comfortably secured their spot in the championship play-offs.

In the quarter-finals, the Young Lions dispatched Real Betis over two legs before getting the better of Valencia in the semi-finals. In the grand final, they squared off against Celta Vigo and left their opponents with absolutely no illusions, cruising to a resounding 5-1 victory to lift the national title.

Our youth setup also enjoyed a strong run in the Copa del Rey Juvenil, where the young Athletic side brushed aside Real Zaragoza with a 2-0 win.

Furthermore, our academy made a real statement on the continental stage in the UEFA Youth League. After an impressive league phase, the team finished 2nd in the table to secure knockout qualification. In the Round of 16, the young Basques knocked out Hamburger SV, with their European adventure finally coming to a halt in the quarter-finals following a hard-fought 2-4 defeat against FC Barcelona.

The performances of our youth ranks prove one thing, Lezama continuously shapes players who are fully capable of becoming the driving force behind the Athletic Club first team in the years to come.

A special mention must also go to this year's Youth Intake at Lezama. The club has welcomed several highly promising newgens who are already displaying immense potential and could very well be knocking on the first-team door in the near future.

• Alvaro Roman
• Enrique Agirre
• Mikel Alcalde
• Alberto Sanchez
• Ibon Arrieta
• David Aketxe
• Josu Fernandez
• Ander Ayensa
• Cesar Arambarri
• Ignacio Alba
• Pedro Maria Murúa

Season Summary

My first season at the helm of Athletic Club was an emotional rollercoaster, filled with incredible highs and challenging moments. From the very opening whistle, the squad had to go toe-to-toe with elite opposition in both La Liga and European competitions.

Finishing 5th in the league is a highly respectable achievement, especially when taking into account how long and grueling the campaign turned out to be. The team proved it could take down the biggest giants, even if we suffered a few unexpected slip-ups along the way.

Without a doubt, the pinnacle of our season was lifting the Copa del Rey after that dramatic final against Real Betis. This silverware stands as the ultimate reward for the squad's immense work rate and brought pure euphoria to the fans at the San Mamés Stadium.

We can also hold our heads high regarding our performance in the UEFA Champions League. After battling through a demanding league phase, we secured qualification to the knockouts, and our aggregate triumph over Bayern Munich will easily go down as one of the most memorable milestones of the season. Although our European run was cut short by Newcastle United, reaching this stage remains a massive success.

Furthermore, the Lezama academy gives us immense reason to be proud. The youth sides achieved stellar results, proving beyond doubt that the club future looks incredibly bright.

This season has demonstrated that the Athletic philosophy still works. The club from Bilbao remains perfectly capable of competing with the biggest powerhouses in Spain and Europe, all while staying fiercely loyal to its core principles.

And this is only the beginning of the story.