From Bilbao to Eibar, and back again
From Bilbao to Eibar, and back again
In the build up to Sunday’s LaLiga fixture in Ipurua, we take a look at footballers who have played for both Athletic Club and SD Eibar
This Sunday at 14:00 CET, Athletic Club head to Ipurua to take on SD Eibar in LaLiga Santander’s matchday three fixture. It will be the seventh game between the two sides in Ipurua in LaLiga history.
At the moment, the balance is in Athletic’s favour with three wins, two draws and one defeat. Additionally, Athletic have not lost against SD Eibar in a LaLiga Santander match since 2015-16, winning five and drawing four in that time.
Despite a short history of top-flight encounters -just 12 matches-, there is a long list of footballers who have spent time at both Basque teams.
As many as 44 players have donned the strips of both teams throughout their respective histories. In fact in the current Athletic Club squad, three footballers have previously played for Eibar: right-back Ander Capa, left-back Yuri Berchiche and central midfielder Daní Garcia.
All three signed for Athletic in 2018-19. However, they were also at SD Eibar when current Athletic Club head coach Gaizka Garitano led the side to the Segunda División in 2012-13 and then, one year later, to the Primera División. Garitano also turned out for both clubs as a player, being at Athletic in 1997 and at Eibar from 1998 until 2005.
Apart from the three footballers in the current Athletic squad, Eneko Bóveda -at Eibar between 2011-2015 and Athletic from 2015 until 2019- and Borja Ekiza -Athletic from 2011-2014 and Eibar 2014-2016- have also competed for both teams in the top flight.
Eibar spent a total of 26 years in the second division, and many players from Athletic’s recent history made appearances for Eibar in the Segunda, including: Gorka Iraizoz, Gaizka Toquero, Aitor Ocio and Tiko.
The list does not stop there though, these players have also competed for both sides: Arriaga, Ricardo Arrien, David Asensio, Asier García Fuentes, César Caneda, Crescencio Cuéllar, Del Olmo, Del Val, Edu Alonso, Imanol Etxeberria, José Manuel Galdames, Gaizka Garitano, Goyo Soria, Aitor Huegún, Iñigo Velez, Luciano Iturrino, Jabo, Mikel Kortina, Jon Ander Lambea, Mario Bermejo, Jon Moya, Roberto Pampín, Pizo Gómez, Luis Prieto, Sarriegi, Solabarrieta, Suances and Urko Vera.
A few other players round off the clubs’ shared history: Isaac Aketxe played one fixture for Athletic under Joaquín Caparrós and then spent two seasons with Eibar in the Segunda B; José Luis Duque was at Athletic between 1942 and 1944, before finishing his career with Eibar in the Tercera División; Agustín Gisasola was a lion for 13 seasons from 1970 until 1983 and went on to spend one season with Eibar; Miguel Navarro, three seasons at Athletic and one in the tercera with Eibar in 1968.
And finally, José Landazabal ‘Lakatos’, José Muguerza and Roberto Etxeberria turned out for the first football team in Eibar in 1910 (SD Eibar was officially founded in 1940) and later made their debuts for Athletic Club.