The Miracle of Athletic Bilbao

“Athletic is a religion” – Óscar de Marcos

False Nine editor Hugo Greenhalgh pays respect to Athletic Bilbao…

Imagine a hypothetical situation in which Leeds United only selected players born and bred in Yorkshire. Then imagine that they had remained in the top division for the past 73 years, a feat matched by only two other clubs. And then imagine that last season they reached the FA Cup and Europa League Finals. This is perhaps the closest comparison one can make to the achievement of Athletic Bilbao. Continue reading