40-year anniversary of the Athletic Club anthem

We are celebrating the Athletic Club anthem's birthday. March 30, 2023 marks four decades since it was first rang out at San Mamés, doing so in the run-up to the first leg of the Copa quarter-final between Athletic Club and FC Barcelona. Since that day, The Cathedral always welcomes its Lions in the same way: standing up, scarf in the air and... Athleeeeeeeeeeeeeeetic!

That iconic cry, belonging to the recently deceased Félix Ugarriza, perfectly characterises what the Zurigorri are all about: grit, guts and perseverance.

Today, on the anthem's 40th birthday, Athletic Club's official website has added a new section dedicated to one of our club's most renowned features. It includes the audio file, the original lyrics, translations into Spanish and English and the history of its creation. 

Previous Club songs

Before the current official anthem, there were two popular songs would often be head at San Mamés. The first of these, known as 'Alirón!', appeared in 1913 and, in the 1950s, there was another song, "Tiene Bilbao un gran tesoro..." (Bilbao has a great treasure), popularised by Timoteo de Urrengoechea (music) and Goyo Nadal (lyrics), and performed by Los Cinco Bilbainos.

In 1982, the Otxandiarra musician Carmelo Bernaola was commissioned to create an official anthem and he looked to the Club's musical tradition and heritage when composing it.

He decided to arrange and combine the old existing songs: the 'Alirón' by Aquino and Retana with Feliciano Beobide's marching song 'Altza Gaztiak', which was based on 'Aupa Mutilak' by José de Olaizola.

The lyrics were written by Antton Zubikarai from Ondarroa, who penned them entirely in the Biscayan dialect of Basque. From this blend of inspirations emerged the anthem that today gives goose bumps to any Athletic Club fan.

Debut with a win

The anthem's inauguration could not have taken place on a better stage, in Athletic Club's favourite competition and with a full house at The Cathedral. In the 1982/83 season, the Zurigorris faced Maradona's FC Barcelona in the quarter-finals. The start of the match, along with the first blast of the anthem, was spectacular.

As was the finish. Athletic won 1-0 thanks to a Dani Ruiz-Bazán penalty, giving them the advantage heading into the second leg. However, at the Camp Nou, goals from Lobo Carrasco, Perico Alonso and Maradona saw the Catalans turn the tie around and knock Athletic Club out.

Revenge and the real tribute came a year later when Athletic beat the Blaugrana 1-0 in Madrid in the final to win their 24th Copa. And if that wasn't enough, a few months later, they sealed a historic double by winning an eighth league title. Athletic's anthem was played throughout Biscay and sailed down Bilbao's river on La Gabarra for the team, fans and whole country to sing it in unison at Bilbao City Hall.