71 years since Athletic’s 1,000th league goal

Today we celebrate 71 years since Rafa Iriondo joined the Olympus of Athletic Club’s historic scorers when he scored against Valladolid C.F the 1,000th goal in league competition. This goal also placed Athletic as the first club to reach this number in the First Division. Football coincidences made that in that Athletic 7 – Valladolid 2 match, was Gernika’s winger and not two of his mythical forwards, Zarra and Panizo, who in that match got a hat trick each, who achieved such an honor.

Iriondo will always be remembered for being the scorer of that 1,000th goal, but it is important to remember that the club’s scoring trajectory in this championship has its origin in the boots of Luis Bergareche, who on February 10, 1929 scored in Atocha against Real Sociedad the first red-and-white goal in the First Division.

Again in a match against Valladolid C.F, the forward José Antonio Latorre obtained on December 29, 1963 the goal 2,000. It took us more than 21 years – April 29, 1984 – to witness the 3,000th league goal scored by Iñigo “Roky” Liceranzu in a match against Real Sociedad in San Mamés, which helped the club to win the eighth league championship in its history.

Santi Ezquerro, on December 19, 2004, got the round number of 4,000 goals in a match against Zaragoza in the stadium of La Romareda that ended with a red-and-white victory by 0-2. From that goal of the Riojan to the last, achieved by Raul Garcia in the derby against Real Sociedad last day of the championship, Athletic has recorded a total of 707 goals, making us 293 goals from the next historic number of 5,000 goals.