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Alfred Mills: The Englishman who came to Bilbao

Alfred Mills: The Englishman who came to Bilbao

The man from Cornwall was a club captain and board member when Athletic Club took its first steps

‘Un inglés vino a Bilbao’, ‘An Englishman came to Bilbao’ the opening line of the famous local folk song goes. The tune was inspired by the Englishmen who came to the city for work, but ended up staying after falling in love with a woman.

Many people have come to Bilbao and fallen madly in love with another person, and many have also come to Bilbao and fallen madly in love with Athletic Club.

Alfred Mills, born in Cornwall on December 15, 1874, didn’t just fall in love with Athletic Club, he was there when it took its first steps.

Several Englishmen, the names of many of whom have unfortunately been lost to history, were heavily involved in Athletic Club’s formative years, but very few played a more significant role than Alfred Mills.

The idea behind Athletic Club was conceived at Zamacois Gym in 1898, inspired by Basque students who had picked up football in the United Kingdom and wanted to keep playing it in Biscay. And in February 1901, at Café Garcia, on Bilbao’s famous Gran Via, the Club held what is considered its first ever board meeting.

It was part of a series of meetings that eventually led to the creation of the Club’s first official statutes later that year.

Even though José María Barquín, Juan Astorquia and Enrique Goiri were the only ones present at the first meeting, 33 founding members ended up signing the statutes.

The list of members includes storied figures from the Club’s past, but one name in particular stands out… Alfredo Mills (real name, Alfred Mills).

Englishman Alfred Edward Alvin Mills was the only foreign-born person among the 33 who signed the documents. In fact, the 1901 statutes even named him as the team’s second-captain.

Mills worked for a telegraph company in Bilbao and was involved in some of the most important moments of Athletic Club’s early history.

Aside from being a founding member and a club captain, Mills was a regular starter on the pitch too. He was a defender, who could also play in midfield. “Winning or losing doesn’t matter. What’s important is to play hard, play clean and have fun,” he famously said about the sport.

Mills lined-up in several of the Lions’ earlier matches, mostly against local rivals Bilbao FC — the team that would eventually merge with Athletic Club in 1903.

Alfred was also in the starting XI when Bizcaya (an XI with players from Athletic and Bilbao FC) beat Bordeaux-based side Burdigala 7-0 on March 31, 1902 — the first visit by a foreign team to Bilbao. It was the return fixture after Bizcaya had beaten the French side 0-2 in Bordeaux three weeks earlier.

Mills did not go to France, but he took E. Careaga’s place when Burdigala came to Bilbao. The match report noted that “Careaga was replaced by the kind Mills”.

The Englishman was intermittently involved in matches throughout the rest of the decade and continued to work for the telegraph company until he passed away in Algorta, Getxo in 1929.

Alfred ensured his children inherited his passion for football and Athletic Club. And Athletic has remained a matter of great importance in the Mills family ever since.

His grandson John Robert Mills, Basque by birth but English passport-holder, who died in January 2019, was a life-long Athletic Club supporter and John’s sons are also massive fans.

Despite living in South America, Alfred Mills’ great-grandsons travelled to Europe to watch Athletic’s 2012 Europa League final in Bucharest.

From earlier players like William Dyer, George Cochran and Andrew Veitch to managers like William Barnes, Fred Pentland, Ronnie Allen and Howard Kendall, as well as many other people besides footballers and coaches, a lot of Englishmen have played pivotal roles in leading Athletic Club to where it is today.

But for us, the ‘kind’ Alfred Mills will always be the first Englishmen who came to Bilbao.

Photo of an Athletic Club starting XI from 1903-04 containing many of the founding members

*Photo from AC Museum. A starting XI from a match in 1903-04 which contains many of Athletic Club’s founding members. Standing: Luis Orbe (Referee), Pedro Iraolagoitia, Alejandro Acha, Alfred Mills. Kneeling: Ulpiano de la Torre, Luis Silva, George Cochran. Sat down: Eguren, Alejandro de la Sota, Juan Astorquia, Enrique Goiri, José María Barquín.