Athletic Club Bilbao

Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is a football club from the Basque Country in Spain that plays in the Primera División. The team has been at the top non-stop since 1928 and has won eight championships to date. This makes them one of only two teams, along with Real Madrid, that despite all the odds, has never been relegated! This success comes on top of 24 Spanish Cup victories - a record only surpassed by FC Barcelona in 2009.

"The Lions of Leon". The nickname worn by players in Spain's La Liga derives from Saint Mamas, who was thrown in a cage with several wild animals but was not eaten by them. His gesture of gratitude led to him later being canonized as one of our favorite saints! The San Mamés stadium was built right next to the church, hence its name: "Soccer Cathedral".

Athletic Bilbao only uses players who either come from the Basque provinces or have been trained in local youth football clubs. The club's loyalty to its roots is evident: many of them have chosen to spend their entire careers at Athletic and even offer advice on how to recruit new talent into this system Athletic Bilbao's players hail from Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, Alava/Navarre, a Spanish territory that includes several regions including Soule, Lower Navarre (France), Labord +Soule.