Athletic Club vs Real Sociedad: Home Defence Meets Away Goals
The Basque derby at San Mamés is set for 1 November 2026 at 20:00 UTC (21:00 CET), as stated in Real Sociedad's official schedule. After nine (…)

Athletic Club is Bilbao’s historic red-and-white institution, founded in 1898 and shaped by a distinctive Basque football tradition. The club’s identity reaches from San Mamés, known as La Catedral, to its member-led structure and enduring connection with local development. This team profile brings together the latest club context, placing the first-team picture within Athletic’s long history, distinctive culture and place in Spanish football.
Athletic Club’s recorded squad contains 32 players: eight attackers, twelve defenders, three goalkeepers and nine midfielders. The group includes attacking options such as Nico Williams, I. Williams, Gorka Guruzeta and Álex Berenguer, with Oihan Sancet, Mikel Jauregizar and Ruíz de Galarreta among the midfielders. The defensive unit includes Aymeric Laporte, Dani Vivian, Aitor Paredes and Yuri. The listed goalkeepers are Unai Simón, Álex Padilla and Mikel Santos. The roster also features Alejandro Rego, Peio Canales and Hugo Rincón among its younger or less established names.
Ernesto Valverde is Athletic Club’s current head coach, having begun his latest recorded spell in June 2022. The timeline then moves back to Marcelino, whose tenure ran from January 2021 to May 2022, and Gaizka Garitano, who served from December 2018 to January 2021. Earlier entries record E. Berizzo from May to December 2018 and José Ángel Ziganda from May 2017 to May 2018. This sequence places Valverde at the centre of the club’s recent coaching continuity.
| Coach | Coach country | Coach since | Coach until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ernesto Valverde Tejedor | Spain | 1 June 2022 | |
| Marcelino García Toral | Spain | 1 January 2021 | 1 May 2022 |
| Gaizka Garitano Aguirre | Spain | 1 December 2018 | 1 January 2021 |
| Manuel Eduardo Berizzo | Argentina | 1 May 2018 | 1 December 2018 |
| José Ángel Ziganda Lacunza | Spain | 1 May 2017 | 1 May 2018 |
| Ernesto Valverde Tejedor | Spain | 1 June 2013 | 1 May 2017 |
| Marcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera | Argentina | 1 July 2011 | 1 June 2013 |
| Joaquín de Jesús Caparrós Camino | Spain | 1 July 2007 | 1 July 2011 |
| Félix Ángel Sarriugarte Montoya | Spain | 1 August 2006 | 1 November 2006 |
| Javier Clemente Lazaro | Spain | 1 October 2005 | 1 June 2006 |
| José Luis Mendilibar Etxebarria | Spain | 1 July 2005 | 1 October 2005 |
| Ernesto Valverde Tejedor | Spain | 1 July 2003 | 1 May 2005 |
| Luis Miguel Fernández Toledo | Spain | 1 July 1996 | 1 June 2000 |
| Javier Clemente Lazaro | Spain | 1 July 1990 | 1 June 1991 |
| Javier Clemente Lazaro | Spain | 1 July 1981 | 1 June 1986 |
Recent arrivals include several returns from loan: Julen Agirrezabala and Unai Vencedor returned from Valencia and Levante, while Peio Canales, Hugo Rincón, Iker Varela, Álvaro Djaló and Beñat Gerenabarrena also re-entered the Athletic Club list after temporary spells. Recorded transfer arrivals include Efe Korkut Martin from 1. FC Nürnberg, Aymeric Laporte from Al-Nassr and Jesús Areso from Osasuna. Eric Pérez is listed on loan, while E. Garcia and M. Gibelalde arrived as free agents. These recent entries are a partial movement picture, not a complete arrivals total.
| Player | Team from | Transfer type | Transfer date |
|---|---|---|---|
Basconia
|
Free agent | 30 June 2026 | |
| Christian Mutilva |
Arenas Getxo
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| C. Mutilva |
Arenas Getxo
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| Oier Gastesi |
Arenas Getxo
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| Aingeru Olabarrieta |
FC Andorra
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| Beñat Gerenabarrena |
Castellón
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| Álvaro Djaló |
Al-Gharafa
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| Iker Varela |
Mirandes
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| Hugo Rincón |
Girona
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| Peio Canales |
Racing Santander
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| Unai Vencedor |
Levante
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| Julen Agirrezabala |
Valencia
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| Efe Korkut Martin |
1. FC Nürnberg
|
Transfer | 31 January 2026 |
| Mikel Santos |
Basconia
|
- | 11 September 2025 |
| Aymeric Laporte |
Al-Nassr
|
Transfer | 11 September 2025 |
Recent departures include Julen Agirrezabala’s transfer to Racing Santander and Aimar Duñabeitia’s move to Sporting Gijon, while Unai Gómez left for Udinese. Mikel Vesga, Iker Varela and Jon de Luis are listed as free-agent departures. Loan movements sent E. Garcia and I. Sanz to Cordoba, with Hugo Rincón, Álvaro Djaló and Aingeru Olabarrieta also leaving temporarily for Girona, Al-Gharafa and FC Andorra. Eric Pérez returned to Eibar after a loan spell. The listed departures are a partial movement picture rather than a complete total for the period.
| Player | Team to | Transfer type | Transfer date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unai Vencedor |
Burgos
|
Free agent | 31 August 2026 |
| Gorosabel |
Espanyol
|
Loan | 31 August 2026 |
| A. Boiro |
West Ham
|
Loan | 31 August 2026 |
| Aingeru Olabarrieta |
Eldense
|
Loan | 30 August 2026 |
| E. Gift |
Eibar
|
Loan | 30 August 2026 |
| Unai Vencedor |
Burgos
|
Free agent | 30 August 2026 |
| Manex Gibelalde |
Grasshoppers
|
Transfer | 17 August 2026 |
| M. Gibelalde |
Grasshoppers
|
Transfer | 17 August 2026 |
| Christian Mutilva |
Unionistas de Salamanca
|
Free agent | 13 August 2026 |
| C. Mutilva |
Unionistas de Salamanca
|
Free agent | 13 August 2026 |
| C. Mutilva |
Unionistas de Salamanca
|
Free agent | 12 August 2026 |
Arenas Getxo
|
Loan | 10 August 2026 | |
| Julen Agirrezabala |
Racing Santander
|
Transfer | 9 August 2026 |
| Mikel Vesga |
Almeria
|
Free agent | 1 August 2026 |
| Mikel Vesga |
Almeria
|
Free agent | 31 July 2026 |
Taken together, the recorded movement shows substantial loan circulation alongside a smaller set of free-agent and transfer changes. Several players returned to Athletic Club after temporary spells, including Julen Agirrezabala, Unai Vencedor, Peio Canales and Hugo Rincón, while other squad members moved out on loan to other clubs or returned to previous clubs. Transfer movement appears on both sides, with Aymeric Laporte and Jesús Areso arriving and Julen Agirrezabala, Aimar Duñabeitia and Unai Gómez departing through recorded transfers. Free-agent arrivals and exits are also present. Because the published movement list is limited rather than exhaustive, it cannot establish the club’s full window activity, overall transfer count or net balance. The clearest pattern is therefore player circulation between Athletic Club and other teams, with both temporary and lasting changes represented across the 2025 and 2026 entries.
The latest recorded competition entries through 2025 include La Liga, Copa del Rey, the Super Cup, Emirates Cup, club friendlies and the UEFA Champions League. La Liga and Copa del Rey form the clearest domestic pillars, while the Champions League places Athletic Club within the recorded European competition set. The UEFA Europa League is historical in this record, with its latest listed year being 2024 rather than 2025. The competition history also reaches back to 2010 for La Liga, 2018 for Copa del Rey, 2014 for the Champions League and Europa League, and 2020 for the Super Cup.
Athletic Club, commonly called Athletic Bilbao, was founded in Bilbao, Spain, in 1898. The official name is Athletic Club, and the club’s red-and-white striped identity is closely associated with the Basque Country. The familiar colours, usually paired with black shorts, make the visual identity immediately recognisable. Its home is San Mamés, known as La Catedral, a modern stadium built on the site of the original 1913 ground. Steep stands and a renowned atmosphere have made the venue a central part of the club’s public character.
Athletic is one of the defining institutions of Spanish football. It is one of only three clubs to have remained in La Liga since the competition began in 1929, alongside Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. The club’s historical record includes eight Spanish league titles and more than 20 Copa del Rey trophies, while its European history includes a UEFA Cup final in 1977 and a UEFA Europa League final in 2012.
The club is also distinguished by its academy philosophy. Athletic traditionally selects players born in the Basque Country or developed in football academies within the region, linking elite competition with local development. Lezama is the key academy and training centre in that model, and the approach gives the first team a strong connection to the surrounding football ecosystem. The policy is cultural as well as sporting, reinforcing continuity between youth football, the senior squad and Basque identity.
Athletic is member-owned, with club members choosing its leadership through presidential elections rather than a private corporation or single proprietor. Its badge incorporates Bilbao and Biscay references, including the San Antón Bridge and Church, the Tree of Guernica and the wolves associated with the Haro family. Together, the venue, governance, colours, academy structure and competitive history explain why Athletic Club occupies a distinctive place in Spanish football.
| match | shots | Poss. | Pass % | Fouls | Cards | Saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Barcelona
2 - 0
Athletic Club
|
0 / 4 |
|
72 | 6 | 2 | 8 |
|
Celta Vigo
0 - 2
Athletic Club
|
7 / 17 |
|
87 | 17 | 3 | 2 |
|
Athletic Club
3 - 0
Atletico Madrid
|
4 / 11 |
|
0% | 8 | - | 5 |
|
Athletic Club
1 - 1
Elche
|
3 / 19 |
|
0% | 11 | 3 | 0 |
|
Athletic Club
0 - 0
Alaves
|
6 / 24 |
|
0% | 14 | 2 | 0 |
|
Valencia
0 - 0
Athletic Club
|
2 / 9 |
|
0% | 13 | 3 | 3 |
|
Levante
3 - 1
Athletic Club
|
4 / 21 |
|
0% | 12 | 2 1 | 4 |
|
Athletic Club
4 - 0
Getafe
|
4 / 11 |
|
0% | 11 | 1 | 1 |
|
Prat
1 - 6
Athletic Club
|
12 / 25 |
|
89 | 11 | 1 | 1 |
|
Athletic Club
2 - 1
Real Sociedad
|
3 / 13 |
|
0% | 11 | 2 | 4 |
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