List of Athletic Bilbao players

Joseba Etxeberria has the most career appearances and goals among Athletic players in the last 30 years.

Athletic Bilbao is an association football club based in Bilbao, in Biscay in the Basque Country of Spain. The club was a founder member of the Spanish league, better known as La Liga, in 1928, and has won the league championship eight times. As of 2012, Athletic has played for 82 years in the Primera División, the top tier of Spanish football, and is one of only three clubs, the others being Real Madrid and Barcelona, never to have been relegated from La Liga.^[1]

The club is known for its policy of recruiting only players from the greater Basque Country, a region which includes Labourd, Soule and Lower Navarre in France as well as the Spanish provinces of Biscay, Guipúzcoa, Álava and Navarre. This policy, which for many years applied both to signings from other clubs and to youngsters admitted to the club's academy, has in recent years become more flexible, so that players whose career developed in the youth system of other clubs in the region are now acceptable, irrespective of their country of birth.^[2][3][4]

Athletic won the Copa del Rey three times between 1914 and 1916. The team of that period included the prolific goalscorer Rafael "Pichichi" Moreno; he scored the first goal in the San Mamés Stadium on 21 August 1913, scored a hat-trick in the 1915 Copa del Rey final, and his 89 games for the club produced a total of 78 goals.^[5][6] Since 1953, the top scorer in La Liga each season has been awarded the Pichichi Trophy, named in his honour.^[7]

On 29 September 1940 Telmo Zarra played his first league match for the club. During his time at Athletic, he won six Pichichi awards, a league record, and helped the club achieve a league championship and five Copa del Rey trophies. He retired in 1955, having played 352 matches and scored 333 goals.^[8][9] Joseba Etxeberria, who joined Athletic from Real Sociedad in 1995 for a record transfer fee of €3 million,^[10] is the player with the most appearances for the club in the last 30 years. He signed a one-year extension to his contract in 2009 in which he agreed to play the 2009–10 season unpaid in the hope of reaching 500 games before he retired;^[11] he finished the season (and his professional career) on 514.

Players[]

José Ángel Iribar is the Athletic player with the most career appearances.

Appearance and goal totals include matches in La Liga, Copa del Rey, Supercopa de España, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and regional competitions.^[NB2] Substitute appearances are included. Table is initially sorted in descending order of appearances and includes all Athletic players who have made 200 appearances or more.

Key[]

Name	Nationality	Position[NB1]	Athletic Bilbao career	Appearances	Goals	Notes	Refs
José Ángel Iribar *	Spain	Goalkeeper	1962–1980	614	0	[A][1 Zamora]	[12]
Txetxu Rojo	Spain	Forward	1965–1982	541	67		[13]
Joseba Etxeberria	Spain	Forward	1995–2010	514	104		[14]
Andoni Iraola	Spain	Defender	2003–2015	510	38		[15]
Markel Susaeta	Spain	Midfielder	2007–2019	507	56		[16]
Agustín Gaínza	Spain	Forward	1940–1959	493	152		[17]
José María Orúe	Spain	Defender	1950–1968	480	0.91		[18]
Iker Muniain	Spain	Forward	2009–	451	64		[19]
Aitor Larrazábal	Spain	Defender	1990–2004	445	43		[20]
Canito	Spain	Defender	1948–1963	435	5.96		[21]
Julen Guerrero	Spain	Midfielder	1992–2006	430	116		[22]
Estanislao Argote	Spain	Forward	1977–1990	427	76		[23]
Ismael Urzaiz	Spain	Forward	1996–2007	419	129		[24]
Óscar de Marcos	Spain	Midfielder	2009–	417	34		[25]
José Panizo	Spain	Midfielder	1938–1955	413	169		[26]
Aritz Aduriz	Spain	Forward	2002–2003 2006–2008 2012–2020	407	172		[27]
Carmelo Cedrún	Spain	Goalkeeper	1950–1964	402	0		[28]
Dani	Spain	Forward	1974–1986	402	199		[29]
Josu Urrutia	Spain	Midfielder	1987–2003	401	10.911		[30]
Mikel San José	Spain	Defender	2009–2020	397	37		[31]
Fidel Uriarte	Spain	Forward	1962–1974	394	120		[32]
Carlos Gurpegui	Spain	Midfielder	2002–2016	393	22		[33]
Gorka Iraizoz	Spain	Goalkeeper	2007–2017	392	0		[34]
Manuel Sarabia	Spain	Forward	1967–1968 1978–1988	382	118		[35]
Andoni Goikoetxea	Spain	Defender	1974–1987	369	44		[36]
Ángel María Villar	Spain	Midfielder	1971–1981	361	10.9911		[37]
Antón Arieta	Spain	Forward	1964–1974	358	83		[38]
Genar Andrinúa	Spain	Defender	1983–1984 1984–1985 1986–1997	356	20.921		[39]
Francisco Yeste	Spain	Midfielder	1998–2010	353	58.959		[40]
Zarra *	Spain	Forward	1940–1955	352	333	[B][6 Pichichi]	[8]
José Artetxe	Spain	Forward	1950–1965	345	133		[41]
Santiago Urquiaga	Spain	Defender	1978–1987	345	6.97		[42]
Koldo Etxeberria	Spain	Defender	1961–1972	341	2.93		[43]
Iñaki Sáez	Spain	Defender	1962–1974	338	8		[44]
Fernando Llorente	Spain	Forward	2005–2013	333	118		[45]
Agustín Gisasola	Spain	Defender	1970–1983	332	19		[46]
José Gallego	Spain	Midfielder	1979–1980 1981–1992	331	17.918		[47]
Bittor Alkiza	Spain	Midfielder	1994–2003	328	9.910		[48]
Rafael Iriondo	Spain	Forward	1940–1953	323	114.9115		[49]
Ander Iturraspe	Spain	Midfielder	2008–2019	320	3		[50]
Jesús Aranguren	Spain	Defender	1962–1975	318	3.94		[51]
Pablo Orbaiz	Spain	Midfielder	2000–2011	318	10.99913		[52]
José Argoitia	Spain	Forward	1960–1972	308	70		[53]
Eneko Arieta	Spain	Forward	1951–1966	302	170		[54]
Koldo Agirre	Spain	Forward	1957–1970	296	63.964		[55]
Rafael Alkorta	Spain	Defender	1987–1993	294	6		[56]
Mauri	Spain	Forward	1953–1964	293	72		[57]
Patxi Salinas	Spain	Defender	1982–1992	293	9.9910		[58]
Jesús Garay	Spain	Defender	1950–1960	292	9.99910		[59]
José Ángel Ziganda	Spain	Forward	1991–1998	291	91		[60]
Iñigo Larrainzar	Spain	Defender	1993–2003	289	6.997		[61]
Iñaki Williams	Spain	Forward	2014–	281	66		[62]
Ismael Urtubi	Spain	Midfielder	1980–1981 1982–1992	278	37		[63]
José Larrauri	Spain	Defender	1965–1974	277	0		[64]
Carlos	Spain	Forward	1970–1981	275	115	[1 Pichichi]	[65]
Ander Garitano	Spain	Midfielder	1987–1996	275	42		[66]
Mikel Balenziaga	Spain	Defender	2008–2009 2013–	274	1		[67]
Nando González	Spain	Defender	1941–1952	272	6.9997		[68]
Miguel de Andrés	Spain	Midfielder	1979–1988	268	11.912		[69]
Carlos García	Spain	Defender	1992–2003	264	25		[70]
Raimundo Lezama	Spain	Goalkeeper	1941–1957	261	0	[1 Zamora]	[71]
Santiago Ezquerro	Spain	Forward	1998–2005	260	59		[72]
José Núñez	Spain	Defender	1971–1976 1978–1986	258	2		[73]
Guillermo Gorostiza *	Spain	Forward	1929–1940	256	198	[2 Pichichi*]	[74]
Javi González	Spain	Midfielder	1997–2007	254	11.9912		[75]
Fernando Amorebieta	Venezuela	Defender	2005–2013	254	4		[76]
Jesús María Lacruz	Spain	Defender	1997–2006	251	12		[77]
Javi Martínez	Spain	Midfielder	2006–2012	251	25		[78]
Roberto Bertol	Spain	Midfielder	1939–1950	247	0		[79]
Manuel Etura	Spain	Defender	1953–1966	247	2.993		[80]
Txema Noriega	Spain	Forward	1979–1987	244	56		[81]
Beñat	Spain	Midfielder	2006–2007 2013–2020	242	11		[82]
Raúl García	Spain	Midfielder	2015–	241	72		[83]
José Iraragorri	Spain	Forward	1929–1949	240	179		[84]
Isaac Oceja	Spain	Defender	1933–1948	239	1		[85]
Andoni Zubizarreta	Spain	Goalkeeper	1981–1986	239	0		[86]
José Maguregi	Spain	Defender	1952–1961	234	41		[87]
Luis de la Fuente	Spain	Defender	1980–1987	233	4.95		[88]
Iñigo Liceranzu	Spain	Defender	1981–1988	232	18		[89]
José Muguerza	Spain	Defender	1928–1936	231	2.9993		[90]
Tiko	Spain	Midfielder	1999–2008	230	26		[91]
Ricardo Mendiguren	Spain	Forward	1986–1997	224	22.923		[92]
Daniel Astrain	Spain	Defender	1971–1979	222	3.994		[93]
José Lasa	Spain	Midfielder	1972–1978	222	23		[94]
Aymeric Laporte	Spain	Defender	2012–2018	222	10		[95]
Roberto	Spain	Midfielder	1928–1936	217	21		[96]
Andoni Lakabeg	Spain	Defender	1988–1995	212	3		[97]
Lafuente	Spain	Forward	1925–1934	211	64		[98]
Ignacio Uribe	Spain	Forward	1953–1963	211	69		[99]
Bata	Spain	Forward	1929–1936	208	208	[1 Pichichi]	[100]
Gaizka Toquero	Spain	Forward	2008–2015	207	25		[101]
Venancio	Spain	Forward	1944–1947 1948–1955	206	89		[102]
Javier Escalza	Spain	Defender	1973–1980	206	7		[103]
Fernando Tirapu	Spain	Defender	1977–1983	204	5		[104]
Óscar Vales	Spain	Defender	1993–1997 1999–2005	204	4		[105]
Gregorio Blasco *	Spain	Goalkeeper	1926–1936	203	0	[3 Zamora*]	[106]
Aitor Karanka	Spain	Defender	1993–1998 2002–2006	202	0		[107]

Notes[]

See also[]

• List of Basque footballers

References[]

External links[]

• Official website:
  • Appearances
  • Goalscorers
  • A-Z of players
  • Debuts
• Athletic Club players in La Liga at BDFutbol