Euskal Non-League Day: SD Deusto
Euskal Non-League Day: SD Deusto
Between 1917 and 1927, 'Los Tomateros' faced Athletic up to 20 times and to this day maintain an important connection with Los Leones
Location: Bilbao
Ground: Campo de Etxezuri
Division: Tercera RFEF (Fifth tier)
Match: SD Deusto vs San Ignacio (Sept 9. 17:30 CEST)
SD Deusto were founded in 1913, at time a when Deusto was still an independent town and before being annexed to into Bilbao. Over time, Deusto has become one of the most renowned boroughs in the city, but its inhabitants have never lost that unique sense of identity of being something distinct.
Without a doubt, Deusto's golden period in the 1920s strengthened this feeling of pride. Between 1917 and 1927, 'Los Tomateros' - the area was once famous for its now long-gone tomato farms - played Athletic 20 times, with 13 of those matches coming in the Regional Championship, where they competed in the top division alongside powerful teams of the era such as Arenas Club and Racing Club de Santander - both of which were in LaLiga for the inaugural season in 1928.
Many of the players to have turned out for both Deusto and Athletic come from those fabled times. They include footballers such as Juan Bilbao, Juan José Urkizu, Marcelino Galatas, Luis Cortadi, Jesús Maria Erice and the extraordinary Carmelo Goienetxea, a forward who played 109 games and scored 50 goals in his ten seasons as a Lion.
In the post-war period, we had the legendary Roberto Bertol, who played for Deusto before joining Athletic. A defensive midfielder, during his time a Zurigorri, he played 247 games in 13 seasons, winning one LaLiga (1942/43), three consecutive Copas (42/43, 43/44 and 44/45) and two Regional Championships (1938/39, 1939/40).
Other players to have pulled on both Athletic and Deusto strips at some point in their career include Nicolas Mentxaka, Ignacio Izaola, Javier Esturo, Juan Antonio Deusto, Lander Iraragorri, Xabier Eskurza and Aitor Larrazabal, an Athletic One-Club Man. The connection remains alive and kicking, first-team footballer Adu Ares played for Deusto as a kid before going to Danok Bat. What's more, current club president, Jon Uriarte, also played for Deusto.
Euskal Non-League Day match against San Ignacio
The 3rd RFEF fixture schedule pits Deusto against Vitoria-based outfit CD San Ignacio on September 9. The match will take place at Etxezuri at 17:30 CEST.
As with all the matches held on Euskal Non-League Day, at half-time Deusto will raffle off Athletic first team shirts and double VIP tickets for the Lions' clash with Cádiz CF the weekend after.