Lezama, the youth academy with most players in the Euro 2024 final
Lezama, the youth academy with most players in the Euro 2024 final
Unai Simón, Dani Vivian, Nico Williams, Aymeric Laporte and Álex Remiro, all of whom trained at the Athletic academy, will be present in Berlin on Sunday
Unai Simón, Dani Vivian, Nico Williams, Aymeric Laporte and Álex Remiro, all of whom came up through the ranks at Lezama, will be part of the great continental football event between the Spanish and English national teams at Berlin's Olympic Stadium this Sunday.
This large representation is a clear endorsement of the player development work carried out at Lezama over the last few years.
With the aforementioned five players, the Zurigorri academy will have with the largest representation in the European final alongside that of FC Barcelona and ahead of others such as Chelsea FC, Manchester City, Real Madrid CF and Real Sociedad, with three players each.
Unai Simón arrived at Lezama in 2011, at under-14 level, and progressed through the ranks until he made his debut with the first team in August 2018. He has already accumulated 195 appearances as a Lion. Nico Williams joined the red and white at under-10s in the summer of 2013, climbing through all the age groups until reaching the elite in 2021, where he has made 122 appearances.
Dani Vivian swapped local youth football for Athletic Club in 2016 and made his debut with the Lions in September 2021, making a total of 103 appearances to date. All three have completed an extraordinary season, winning the Copa del Rey with Athletic Club last April in Seville and obtaining an outstanding fifth place in LaLiga.
Likewise, two other players present at the Euro2024 final came through Lezama. Alejandro Remiro was at Athletic Club between 2009 and 2019. Defender Aymeric Laporte arrived at Lezama in 2010 from Aviron Bayonnais and was at the club until January 2018, making 222 appearances in the first team jersey and winning the Super Copa title in 2015.
The figures once again demonstrate the outstanding work done at Lezama. It is one of the most important training centres in Europe when it comes to generating top-level talent and it allows Athletic Club to be ambitious and compete at the highest level.