Unai López: the latest Athletic Club player to score a LaLiga brace

Unai López played a match-winning role as Athletic Club defeated SD Eibar 1-2 in Ipurua on Sunday. The central midfielder scored two goals for the lions, becoming Athletic’s first goalscorer of LaLiga 2020-21.

López, who now has three first-team goals, joins the list of current first-team players to have scored a brace in Athletic colours, alongside Ibai Gómez, Iker Muniain, Iñaki Williams and Raúl García.

Winger Ibai Gómez has two LaLiga doubles, both coming in the 2013-14 season. Ibai got his first brace in Athletic’s 6-1 home victory against Almería and repeated the feat in the next fixture, also in San Mamés, as the lions beat Valladolid 4-2.

Iñaki Williams has scored twice in a LaLiga game on five occasions. The first came in 2015-16 when Athletic beat Real Betis 1-3 in the Benito Villamarín, with Williams getting the first two goals. Williams’ second brace also came in Andalusia, this time in La Rosaleda, a 3-3 draw with Málaga CF. In 2018-19, he got a double three times, two of them vital as Athletic shot up the LaLiga Santander table after Christmas. Earlier in the same season, he beat the keeper twice against Atlético Madrid in the Wanda when Athletic fell to a 3-2 defeat in the final minute. The forward’s next two braces came in San Mamés. One against Sevilla FC, which included the famous goal that saw him outsprint the entire Sevilla defence. And the other was in a 3-2 victory over Rayo Vallecano.

Forward Raúl García has five Athletic Club braces to his name. Two against Celta Vigo, one in a 0-3 Athletic victory in Balaídos in 2016-17 and the other in 2018-19 during Athletic’s 3-1 win in San Mamés. ‘Rulo’ also put CD Leganés to the sword, scoring both goals in a 2-0 home win in 2017-18. Last season, Raúl was key in Athletic’s post-covid wins. He bagged both goals as Athletic beat Valencia CF 0-2 in Mestalla and Levante 1-2 in La Nucía.

The group is rounded off by Iker Muniain. The current captain has scored a brace twice. The first came against UD Las Palmas in a 5-1 victory in San Mamés. The second came last season when Athletic beat Espanyol 3-0 in The Cathedral.