Atlético de Madrid and Athletic Club: a story that began as the same – The strength of our football

TOtlético de madrid and Athletic Club share roots, colors and part of his history. To do this we must go back to his origins. And it is that, the red and the white unites the cities of Madrid and Bilbao. Two clubs that were born practically hand in hand and that have grown along different paths. The passage of time has shaped two identitys within the Spanish professional football with unique personalities and with own character.

It all started in School of Mines from Madrid. A group of Basque students residents in the capital felt homesick for Bilbao and decided to found 1903 a team to continue practicing the sport they loved. Thus was born the Athletic Club of Madrid, branch team Athletic Club, founded in 1898.

For several years he maintained a direct link with the Biscayan entity. In fact, both clubs came to consider themselves the same for competitive purposes and that prevented them from facing each other in an official match. It was in 1907 when he became independent Athletic and Over time it evolved into the Atlético de Madrid.

More than a century later, their confrontations are still full of emotion, memory and pride. Today, this match is one of the most exciting and vibrant of LALIGA EA SPORTS. This weekend (Saturday 9:00 p.m., DAZN) face each other in the Riyadh Air Metropolitan in the day 34.

He Athletic has been evolving with popular Madrid identity displacing the filial origin towards an urban belonging with its own character. For his part, the Athletic ha grown with quarry philosophy as a differential element (pride in one’s own). One represents the Madrid culture and another embodies the authenticity with the territorial continuity and Basque culture.

Since their origins, both clubs have shared the blue colors and white. At the beginning of the 20th century the player Juan Elorduy He traveled to England and bought some t-shirts for the Athletic Club. Due to the lack of stock of the model used by the Blackburn Rovers (blue and white) acquired kits from Southampton with red and white stripes. Those shirts traveled to Bilbao and some arrived in Madrid to dress the Atlético de Madrid. Since then the red and white has become identity sign and DNA of the clubs.

The shield of Athletic has the bear and the arbutus that reflects the symbols of the city ​​of Madrid. The stars They refer to the city’s coat of arms. The club evokes struggle, resilience and popular pride. Its history is fueled by endurance and emotion. The memory of Vicente Calderon is still present and is part of the red and white imagination with the motto ‘courage and heart’.

He Athletic has consolidated a unique model based on the territorial identity and in what authentic. All this in zuri-gorri (white-red in Basque) and under the motto ‘unique in the world’ (unique in the world). His shield integrates historical symbols of Bilbao, Bizkaia and Euskal Herria, like him bridge and the church of San Anton, the cross of Saint Andrew or the tree of Gernika. The club defends a philosophy focused on quarry and in the link with the Basque territory. A project that has converted the Athletic Club in a unique institution since it is the only elite football club that competes only with born footballers either formed in the land it represents.

The athletes boast of being red and white and in Bilbao the team receives the nickname ‘lions’. A name that extends to its quarry where its players are known as ‘puppies’. The hymns They are also part of that hallmark identity as something very recognized. In it Riyadh Air Metropolitan is sung a cappella before each game while thousands of voices sing the ‘Atleti, Atleti, Atlético de Madrid’. In San Mames something similar happens with ‘Athleticen Ereserkia’ that resonates in The Cathedral before the ball starts rolling as tradition.