Throughout football’s long and patterned history there has always been drama, excitement, heartbreak and jubilation. The Uefa Cup Final in 1995 when Nayim ridiculously scored from the half-way line past a disbelieving David Seaman; the 1999 Champions League Final where Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s right foot will forever be etched into the memory of Manchester United fans.

In 1981 there was a goal right at the death that was of such significance, not just in football terms, that should be on every top 10 list of goals scored in the closing stages of games. Step forward Jesús María Zamora and Real Sociedad.

With Sociedad going into the game against Real Sporting de Gijón needing only a draw to clinch the La Liga title expectations were high. Torrential rain was drenching everything and everyone inside the El Molinón in April 1981 and the dismal weather was soon a mirror into the souls of everyone connected with Real Sociedad as with seconds remaning they were losing. The grim outlook was not just limited to the weather forecast it was evident on every players and supporters face. Déjà vu was setting in as Sociedad had lost the previous years title (1980) on the final day to Real Madrid. Indeed Los Blancos were already getting into party mood as they were 3-1 up away to Real Valladolid.

In a moment, a flash of brilliance, a unexpected illumination appeared from the downpour that ensured Déjà vu was indeed, not happening.  Bixio Gorriz’s miss hit fell straight to Zamora and, in his own words, he “just clouted it”. In the space of literally 12 seconds Real Sociedad went from dismay to bliss; but this title win had a more far reaching consequence. As part of the Basque country, Real Sociedad like Bilbao and Barcelona in Catalonia suffered at the hands of Franco. Their regionalism was obviously loathed by a man bent on centralising Spain to Madrid. Franco’s rule from 1936 up untl his death in 1975 the league had been dominated by Real Madrid with Atheltico and Barcelona and occasionally Valencia winning the odd title. Bilbao achieved the feat in 1943 and 1956 however up until Sociedads win in 1981 the establishment generally prevailed.

What was so important about this victory was not just that it took the title back to the Basque Region but that it signaled a shift, if only temporary, in Spanish football as Real Sociedad went on to win the title again the following year and Bilbao the 2 years after that. A region so persecuted under Franco were now celebrating a victory over the team that came to represent Franco and the centralised Spanish state – Real Madrid.

It was a last minute goal a lo grande.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

So Jermaine Pennant, the forgotten man of Merseyside, has jumped ship for sunnier and warmer shores, namely, Real Zaragoza. Perhaps this move will come as a bit of a shock to some of you?

Well he was linked with Real Madrid pre-Galacticos II era, so his move to the Mediterranean is not as much of a surprise as first thought. But with Pennant leaving one Spaniard in Rafael Benítez for another in Marcelino García Toral, the inevitable question arises; Can he be a success?

British players in Spain are no new phenomenon. Over the years numerous Brits have touched down on the Iberian Peninsula for more than an 18-30’s and a few weeks of sunshine. At Real Madrid we had Laurie Cunningham, Steve McManaman Jonathan Woodgate, David Beckham and Michael Owen. At Barça the likes of Gary Linekar and Steve Archibald. The Irish have a presence too with Ian Harte and Steve Finnan. Terry Venables, Chris Coleman and Bobby Robson have all tried their hands at management. So the British are not exactly unknown to have played or indeed managed in La Liga, but then again, we haven’t exactly set it alight on the field. Or have we?

I think to say that British players have failed in Spain is, to an extent, a misconception. Linekar for example, was a success. 21 goals in 41 games in this first season (1986) including a memorable hat-trick in the El Clásico , a Copa Del Rey in 1988 and the Cup Winners Cup in 1989 is hardly the record of a failure, is it?

Lets fast-forward to Steve McManaman in 1999. While the British media may not be particularly appreciative of his time in Spain, it cannot be denied that he was to some extent a success in his 4 years at the club. He played a pivotal role in the team that won the Champions League in 2000, scoring a fantastic goal in the final and in his time at Madrid played in a side that accomplished the La Liga in 2001 and 2003, the Supercopa de España in 2001 and 2003, the Champions League in 2003 and 2002, UEFA Super Cup 2002 and Intercontinental Cup 2002.

He was no bit part player either. At least, not for the first 3 seasons. Admittedly he was not always considered first choice after the arrival of superstars such as Luis Figo, but he played an important role. Perhaps eventually a victim of the first Galacticos Era, McManaman can certainly raise his head high from his time with Los Blancos.

I’m not going to go through in depth all the statistics of the few who have ventured from our shores to the sun in Spain. But when you look back at the British players who have graced La Liga there not many whom you can say failed; Owen had the highest ratio of goals per minutes played in his season at Madrid. Yet we still view British players who venture to foreign soil as, well, not as successful as those who stay in the United Kingdom. This is certainly the view I have experienced.

Pennant may not be of the same commercial or footballing caliber of Beckham or Linekar but he has the chance to prove many doubters wrong. Not just those who criticize Pennant himself but those, both in our own media and abroad, who say that the British cannot perform outside their own country.

I for one will be watching his progress in Aragón, closely.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Chances are that if you’re in the pub with your friends and the inevitable topic of football is discussed, and perhaps less inevitably Spanish football is mentioned (unless it’s a dig at Real Madrid), then Athletic Club Bilbao will not be high on the list of subjects.

But perhaps it should be. Amongst the arguments of ‘who’s better Messi or Ronaldo’, ‘who will David Villa join’, and, ‘oh by the way who’s round is it’, Athletic Club barely get a look in. However in today’s ever declining lack of footballing morals, ethics and loyalty, Athletic Bilbao at least deserve a drunken supportive rant.

Formed by British migrant workers in 1898, Bilbao has become somewhat of a romanticised club. They are team whom are idealised in a modern world where cheap footballing imports and the EU have almost brought the great youth systems of Europe it their knees.

Gone are the days of the Lisbon Lions who won the 1967 European Cup with players who were all born within 30 miles of Glasgow. Look at every Premier League team in England, only an average of 3 English players per team start every weekend. And yet, in a small part of Northern Spain a team has consistently defied the globalization of football and strove to preserve its values and fundamental beliefs in an age where football is slowly falling into an abyss filled with greed, monetization and self-interest.

The sun quietly descends behind the Stadio San Mamés, or ‘The Cathedral’ if you’re a Los Leones, as it is still sometime before the hustle and bustle of the new La Liga season comes to these shores. When you think of all the great names that have graced this pitch: the prolific Telmo Zarra, José Ángel Iribar and Joseba Etxeberria to name just a few you begin to see the curiosity and interés that surrounds this club. They are all Basque. They all hail from the Basque region of Northern Spain. And what makes the club more intriguing is that since 1912, almost 100 years ago, the Athletic Bilbao team has only consisted on Basque players. Remarkable. Do you think you would ever see Arsene Wenger or Alex Ferguson only playing footballers born in London or Manchester?

This policy of Cantera (literally ‘quarry’)  is one that the club, the supporters and the Basque people are immensely proud of. By implementing this policy the club is ensuring the survival and promotion of the Basque game, they choose to nature their own talent rather than buy an import. It is also more than this. It is a stand against centralization. A voice that yells “we are Basque!”. During the 28 year reign of General Franco the Basque people suffered terrible oppression; their unique language, culture, customs, style were all banned, persecuted and oppressed because they didn’t fit in with the ideal of a one-nation Spain. It was conform or suffer the consequences. Support for Bilbao was a vote against Franco. Much in the same way that Barcelona is self-described as ‘more than a club’, Athletic Bilbao are similar, but they take it a step further.

And yet, not everyone looks upon Athletic Bilbao as the ideal football club.. Admittedly these critics mainly come from outside the region but perhaps they do have a point when they say that Cantera is restrictive to Bilbao’s progress. While it has cemented its position in footballing history as a club that is genuinely local (if you overlook the fact that it was created by foreigners), it has also been somewhat left behind when it comes to success.

They haven’t won a domestic trophy since 1984 and since we have entered the 21st century their highest finish has been 5th. Not bad you might say considering they are up against the likes of Real, Barcelona and Valencia who can open their cheque books and sign anyone from any part of the world, but when you consider their success historically in that they have won 8 La Liga titles and sit 3rd behind Real Madrid and Barcelona in terms of league titles won; the policy of Cantera looks outdated and obsolete. A throwback to a distant age when football was idyllic and naïve.

And yet this isn’t the view of the club nor the fans. Their president, Fernando Garcia Macua, announced that “we’d rather go down than change our habits, I know the supporters feel the same.” They have only a 3 million strong population in which to find their next Telmo Zarra.

If the Arsenal Board decided that the club could only buy players that are part of, or have descended from, the 7.5m people that live in London there would be a revolt. But yet we look upon Bilbao as well, somehow right and honorable. Of course clubs should have a ‘local’ presence, of course they should protect and nurture their own; it’s a sorry state of affairs that most clubs have neither the will nor the courage to do so.

So next time you’ve have one too many Carlsbergs in the local and have moved on to why Messi is a hundred times better than Ronaldo, spare a thought for Bilbao. Because unless the Basque country has a sudden baby boom of superstars, Cantera might not be around for another 100 years.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News