La Liga’s Basque Derby is a unique fixture in world football, with the rivalry between Bilbao’s Athletic Club and San Sebastian-based Real Sociedad going far beyond just football.
The historic enmity between the Basque country’s two biggest cities, industrial Bilbao and aristocratic San Sebastian, found a sporting outlet when football arrived in the early 20th century.
Exhibition and friendly games between the clubs immediately began, with the beginning of the Basque Regional League in 1913 bringing official status. A famous early derby in February 1914 was won 3-2 by Athletic, with the opener scored by legendary Los Leones striker Rafael “Pichichi” Moreno.
The rivalry continued as La Liga’s inaugural season kicked-off in 1928-29, as the side from Bilbao came from 0-2 down to win the first derby 4-2. Athletic Club’s Telmo Zarra is the fixture’s leading goalscorer in LaLiga Santander history with 14, including five goals in a 7-1 win at San Mames in 1950-51. La Real’s all-time top scorer Jesus Maria Satrustegui got to 13 in his 16 derbies in the 1960s and 1970s.
The early 1980s was a golden age for Basque football, with La Real winning their two La Liga titles to date in 1980-81 and 1981-82, and Athletic Club following up with a double in the next two years. A 1983-84 derby came on the season’s final day at San Mames, when Athletic Club’s centre-half Inigo Liceranzu scored twice in a 2-1 win which clinched the most recent of his club’s eight La Liga trophies.
There have been 153 La Liga Basque derbies to date, with Athletic Club winning 61 times, La Real 53 times, and 39 draws. One of the most important meetings took place in the 2019-20 Copa del Rey final, when Real Sociedad triumphed 1-0 thanks to a Mikel Oyarzabal penalty.
Many players have featured for both clubs over the years, including former Athletic Club midfielder and coach Gaizka Garitano. Only two players have scored for each side in the fixture, striker Rafa Iriondo in the 1950s and 1960s and forward Pedro Uralde in the 1980s. More recently, Athletic Club taking Spain international centre-back Inigo Martinez – today of Barcelona – from La Real in January 2018 always ensures a hot reception in San Sebastian. In July 2019, La Real hit back by signing goalkeeper Alex Remiro, and in the summer of 2021, Alex Petxarroman – who has just joined Segunda side FC Andorra – jumped from the Zubieta youth academy to Athletic Club, being the last player to cross the Basque Derby from one city to the other.
However, while emotions can run high on derby day, players and supporters at both clubs also realise how much they have in common, including recently redesigned modern stadiums at San Mames and the Reale Arena. Home and away fans mix both outside and inside the grounds on derby day, with the red and white of Athletic Club mingling with Real Sociedad’s blue and white (txuri-urdin, in Basque) throughout the cities. Both on and off the pitch, the Basque derby shows so much of what is positive about La Liga.
