Cantera, literally meaning "
quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envi ...
" in
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
, is a term used in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
to refer to
youth academies and
farm team
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
s organized by sports clubs. It is also used to refer to the geographical area that clubs recruit players from. The term is widely used in football but is also applied to other sports, such as basketball. This article, however, is about the football ''canteras''. Notable canteras include those of
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional Association football, football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country (autonomous com ...
,
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D., more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad (; ''Royal Society''), La Real in Spanish, Erreala in Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 Septem ...
,
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
,
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
,
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...
,
Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league sy ...
,
Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. (), commonly known as Real Sporting, Sporting Gijón, or simply Sporting (although in an international context this can lead to confusion with Sporting Clube de Portugal) is a Spanish football club from Gijón, P ...
,
Celta de Vigo
Real Club Celta de Vigo (; ), commonly known as Celta de Vigo or simply Celta, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football. Nicknamed ''Os Celestes'' (The Sky Blues ...
and
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
.
Basque canteras
Athletic Bilbao
Since 1912,
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional Association football, football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country (autonomous com ...
have employed a "cantera policy", which has come to be defined in an official (although not legally binding)
signing policy whereby they will only recruit players with some link to the
Basque Country. One of the main beneficiaries of the policy has been the
Spain national team. Athletic has provided numerous players for it, second only to
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
.
During the early 1920s, the
Basque Country was a breeding ground of great Spanish players. It was the first area where the sport really became popular, and the influx of immigrants from all over Spain was also a factor in the region producing dozens of quality players. In 1920, Spain made their international debut and entered a team in the
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
. Of the 21 players in the squad, 14 were Basques, among them
Pichichi,
José María Belauste
José María de Belausteguigoitia Landaluce (3 September 1889 – 4 September 1964), known as Belauste, was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder.
Club career
Born in Bilbao, Biscay, Belauste played with Athletic Bilbao from ages 15 ...
,
Domingo Acedo
Domingo Gómez-Acedo y Villanueva (6 June 1898 – 14 September 1980), also known as Txomin, was a Spanish footballer who played primarily as a left-sided forward and sometimes as a left back. Acedo was in the Spain national team that compet ...
and
Félix Sesúmaga
Félix Sesúmaga Ugarte (12 October 1898 – 24 August 1925) was a Spanish (Basque) footballer who played as a forward for Arenas Club de Getxo, FC Barcelona, Racing de Sama de Langreo, Athletic Bilbao and Spain.
Sesúmaga won the Copa del Re ...
.
Throughout their history, Athletic Bilbao have continued to produce many notable players while adhering to their policy. Among them were
Telmo Zarra Telmo may refer to:
People
* Saint Telmo (died 303), also known as Erasmus of Formia, Christian martyr and saint
* Pedro González Telmo (1190-1246), Castilian friar and priest
* Luis Telmo Paz y Miño (1884-1962), President of the Supreme Milit ...
, the then all-time top
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...
goalscorer;
José Ángel Iribar
José Ángel Iribar Kortajarena (born 1 March 1943), nicknamed ''El Chopo'' ("the Populus, Poplar"), is a Spanish retired Association football, football Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper and Manager (association football), manager.
...
, 614 official matches with Athletic and a member of the
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
team when they won the
European Championship in 1964; and
Andoni Zubizarreta
Andoni Zubizarreta Urreta (, ; born 23 October 1961) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
The all-time most capped player for the Spain national team for several years, he played with individual and team su ...
, who made a record 622 La Liga appearances and is also the second most capped Spanish international player. Other notable graduates of the Athletic cantera include
Bata,
Agustín Gaínza,
José Luis Panizo
José Luis López Panizo (6 February 1922 – 14 February 1990) was a Spanish footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
During 16 seasons he played for Athletic Bilbao, appearing in 413 official matches (179 goals) and winning seven ma ...
,
Andoni Goikoetxea,
Julio Salinas,
Julen Guerrero
Julen Guerrero López (born 7 January 1974) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played solely for Athletic Bilbao as an attacking midfielder. He is the current manager of the Spain national under-17 team.
He appeared in 430 offici ...
,
Rafael Alkorta
Rafael Alkorta Martínez (born 16 September 1968) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played mainly as a central defender. He is the current sporting director of Athletic Bilbao.
Having represented Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid ...
,
Andoni Iraola
Andoni Iraola Sagarna (, ; born 22 June 1982) is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a right-back, currently manager of Rayo Vallecano.
Combative and with good passing skills, he spent the vast majority of his professional c ...
,
Fernando Llorente
Fernando Javier Llorente Torres (; born 26 February 1985), nicknamed ''El Rey León'' ("The Lion King" in Spanish), is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a striker.
He started his career with Athletic Bilbao, working his way throu ...
and
Kepa Arrizabalaga
Kepa Arrizabalaga Revuelta (born 3 October 1994) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Chelsea. He is sometimes referred to simply as Kepa.
A Basque native, Arrizabalaga began his senior club career with Ath ...
. Their
youth teams continue to be among the most productive in Spain.
Real Sociedad
Athletic were not the only club to have a cantera policy — fellow Basque club
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D., more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad (; ''Royal Society''), La Real in Spanish, Erreala in Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 Septem ...
operated a similar policy until 1989. Neither were Athletic the only Basque club that provided players for the 1920 Olympics squad.
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D., more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad (; ''Royal Society''), La Real in Spanish, Erreala in Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 Septem ...
,
Real Unión
Real Unión Club, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Irun, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in the province of Gipuzkoa, near the border with France. Founded on 15 May 1915 it currently plays in Primera División RFE ...
and
Arenas Club de Getxo also provided players. In 1928, these four clubs became founding members of La Liga, demonstrating further the strength in depth of the Basque canteras at the time. The saying "''Con cantera y afición, no hace falta importación''", translated as "With home-grown teams and supporters, there is no need for imports", made sense during these early days.
The ability of the Basque Country to produce great players was made clear during the early 1980s when La Real and Athletic won four Liga titles in a row between
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
and
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
. The Real Sociedad team included, among others,
Roberto López Ufarte
Roberto López Ufarte (born 19 April 1958) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a forward.
Nicknamed ''The little devil'', most of his 15-year career was spent at Real Sociedad where he remained 12 seasons, winning four ma ...
,
José Mari Bakero
José María Bakero Escudero (born 11 February 1963) is a Spanish former professional footballer, and a manager. Having played mainly for Real Sociedad and Barcelona, he began his career as a forward (not being a prolific goalscorer) but was c ...
,
Luis Arconada
Luis Miguel Arconada Etxarri (born 26 June 1954) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
He played only for Real Sociedad for nearly 20 years, and helped the club to four titles including two La Liga championships.
Arconada ...
and
Jesús María Zamora
Jesús María Zamora Ansorena (born 1 January 1955) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Club career
Born in Rentería, Gipuzkoa, Zamora played his entire professional career with local club Real Sociedad. ...
.
Xabi Alonso
Xabier Alonso Olano (, ; born 25 November 1981) is a Spanish football coach and former professional player who is currently the head coach of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.
Alonso began his career at Real Sociedad, the main team of his hom ...
, a
World Cup winner in
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, is also a product of
Real Sociedad's youth system.
Barcelona and Real Madrid
Although
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
and Real Madrid are well known for regularly recruiting foreign players, both are renowned worldwide for producing local players. Along with Athletic Bilbao (see
Bilbao Athletic
Athletic Club "B", commonly known as Bilbao Athletic, is the reserve team of Athletic Club, a football club based in Bilbao, in the autonomous community of Basque Country in Spain. The team are playing in the Primera Federación – Group 2. Fo ...
), both clubs have notable
reserve team
In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...
s (
Barcelona B
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
and
Real Madrid Castilla respectively) that are predominantly made up of Spanish players.
Numerous senior players have graduated through the ranks of Barcelona's ''
La Masia
La Masia de Can Planes, usually shortened to La Masia (; en, "The Farmhouse"), is a term used for FC Barcelona's youth academy. The academy includes more than 300 young players. It has been an instrumental factor in Barcelona's European success ...
'' academy, including
Francisco Carrasco,
Ramón Calderé
Ramón María Calderé del Rey (born 16 January 1959) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder, currently a manager.
An all-around midfield unit, he played mainly for Barcelona, appearing in 157 competitive games o ...
,
Guillermo Amor
Guillermo Amor Martínez (; born 4 December 1967) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a versatile midfielder.
After spending most of his professional career with Barcelona, winning several accolades in a ten-year tenure, he ended it i ...
,
Albert Ferrer,
Pep Guardiola,
Sergi,
Iván de la Peña
Iván de la Peña López (; born 6 May 1976) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder. During his career, he earned the nicknames ''Pequeño Buddha'' ( ''Little Buddha'') and ''Lo Pelat'' (''The Shaven One' ...
,
Francesc Arnau
Francesc Xavier Arnau Grabalosa (23 March 1975 – 22 May 2021) was a Spanish footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
In a 16-year professional career he played for Barcelona and Málaga, appearing in 126 La Liga games over the course of 12 seas ...
,
Óscar Oscar or Oskar is a masculine given name of Irish origin.
Etymology
The name is derived from two elements in Irish: the first, ''os'', means "deer"; the second element, ''car'', means "loving" or "friend", thus "deer-loving one" or "friend of deer" ...
,
Roger
Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...
,
Gabri,
Gerard
Gerard is a masculine forename of Proto-Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other early Germanic names, it is dithematic, consisting of two meaningful constituents put together. In this ca ...
,
Luis García Sanz
Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...
,
Oleguer,
Pepe Reina
José Manuel "Pepe" Reina Páez (; born 31 August 1982) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Villarreal.
The son of famed Barcelona and Atlético Madrid goalkeeper Miguel Reina, Pepe Reina began his ...
,
Thiago Motta
Thiago Motta (; ; born 28 August 1982) is a professional football manager and former player. He is currently the head coach of club Bologna.
A midfielder, Motta spent his early career at Barcelona, where he was injury-prone. He played two and ...
,
Fernando Navarro,
Xavi
Xavier Hernández Creus (born 25 January 1980), known as Xavi is a Spanish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the manager of La Liga club FC Barcelona, Barcelona. Widely con ...
,
Cesc Fàbregas
Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas Soler (; ; born 4 May 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Italian Serie B club Como.
Fàbregas came through ''La Masia'', Barcelona's youth academy, leaving at 16 when ...
,
Carles Puyol,
Víctor Valdés
Víctor Valdés Arribas (; born 14 January 1982) is a Spanish football coach and former professional player, who played as a goalkeeper. Valdés was considered fiercely competitive and demanding, demonstrating great mental strength and concen ...
,
Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta Amatriain (born 26 March 1982) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player. He is the manager of club Arsenal.
Arteta began his senior career at Barcelona in 1999 but limited playing time led to a loan to Paris ...
,
Andrés Iniesta
Andrés Iniesta Luján (; born 11 May 1984) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and is the captain of J1 League club Vissel Kobe. Considered one of the greatest midfielders of all time, Iniesta has spent most of hi ...
,
Bojan
Bojan (Serbian Cyrillic and Macedonian: Бојан; Ukrainian, Russian and Bulgarian Cyrillic: Боян, transcribed ''Boyan'') is a Slavic given name, derived from the Slavic noun ''boj'' "battle." The ending ''-an'' is a suffix frequently fou ...
,
Jeffrén,
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
,
Giovani dos Santos
Giovani dos Santos Ramírez ( ; born 11 May 1989) is a Mexican professional footballer. A versatile forward, dos Santos can play as an attacking midfielder, winger, and secondary striker. He is an Olympic gold medalist.
Dos Santos began hi ...
,
Gerard Piqué
Gerard Piqué Bernabeu (, ; born 2 February 1987) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He is considered one of the best defenders of his generation.
Initially a highly promising student at La Masia, Piqué ...
,
Sergio Busquets
Sergio Busquets Burgos (, ; born 16 July 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for La Liga club Barcelona, where he is captain. He is considered to be a deep-lying playmaker capable of directing gameplay ...
,
Pedro
Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for '' Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter.
The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, mean ...
,
Cristian Tello
Cristian Tello Herrera (; born 11 August 1991) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Saudi Professional League club Al Fateh.
He spent his youth at Espanyol and Barcelona, playing for both clubs' reserves ...
,
Thiago
Thiago is the Portuguese equivalent of the names Jacob and James. It is the archaic spelling of the name Tiago, presently mostly used in Brazil; in Portugal, the modern spelling largely prevails.
* Thiago (footballer, born September 1988), full ...
,
Rafinha,
Marc Bartra
Marc Bartra Aregall (, ; born 15 January 1991) is a Spanish professional association football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for Süper Lig club Trabzonspor and the Catalonia national football team, Catalonia national team.
He started h ...
,
Gerard Deulofeu
Gerard Deulofeu Lázaro (; born 13 March 1994) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Serie A club Udinese. Mainly a forward, he can also play as a winger on both flanks.
He started his career with Barcelona, first appearing with ...
and
Sergi Roberto
Sergi Roberto Carnicer (, born 7 February 1992) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team. Mainly a central midfielder, he can also operate as a defensive midfielder, full-back or w ...
, though some of these were recruited from overseas before signing professional terms, so are not "home-grown" in the traditional sense, if in the technical sense.
Similarly, numerous notable professional players have graduated Real Madrid's youth academy, known as ''
La Fábrica (the factory)''. In 1966, Madrid won the
European Cup
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
with a team of 11 Spanish players and a Spanish coach, marking the first time a home-born team had won the competition. Many great homegrown players have since passed through the ranks, among them ''
La Quinta del Buitre
is the moniker given by Spanish sport journalist Julio César Iglesias to the five homegrown Real Madrid players who were at the core of the team that dominated Spanish football in the 1980s. The name ("Vulture's Cohort") was derived from Emili ...
'' —
Emilio Butragueño
Emilio Butragueño Santos (; born 22 July 1963) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a striker.
He was best known for his spell with Real Madrid. Nicknamed ''El Buitre'' (The Vulture), he was a member of the '' La Quinta del Buitre'' ...
,
Manolo Sanchís
Manuel Sanchís Hontiyuelo (; born 23 May 1965) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a sweeper.
A part of the famous ''La Quinta del Buitre'' which stemmed from the Real Madrid youth academy, he was the only of its five members to ...
,
Martín Vazquéz,
Míchel and
Miguel Pardeza
Miguel Pardeza Pichardo (born 8 February 1965) is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a forward.
He was part of Real Madrid's generation of footballers known as '' La Quinta del Buitre'', but spent the better part of his ca ...
. Graduates of the cantera also include
Iker Casillas,
Álvaro Arbeloa
Álvaro Arbeloa Coca (; born 17 January 1983) is a Spanish retired footballer, currently manager of Real Madrid Juvenil A. He predominantly played as a right-back, and occasionally on the left side.
He started his professional career with R ...
,
Esteban Granero
Esteban Félix Granero Molina (; born 2 July 1987) is a Spanish former professional footballer. Known as ''El Pirata'' ("The Pirate"), he could play as a central or an attacking midfielder.
He emerged through Real Madrid's youth academy, but ma ...
,
Raúl
Raul, Raúl and Raül are the Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Galician, Asturian, Basque, Aragonese, and Catalan forms of the Anglo-Germanic given name Ralph or Rudolph. They are cognates of the French Raoul.
Raul, Raúl or Raül may re ...
,
Guti
José María Gutiérrez Hernández (born 31 October 1976), known as Guti, is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, currently a manager.
During his career, he played almost exclusively for Real Madrid ...
,
Luis García Fernández,
Juan Mata
Juan Manuel Mata García (born 28 April 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Turkish Süper Lig club Galatasaray. He mostly plays as a central attacking midfielder, but he can also play on the wing.
A gr ...
,
Kiko Casilla
Francisco "Kiko" Casilla Cortés (; born 2 October 1986) is a Spanish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Getafe CF.
He started playing for Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid, ...
,
Borja Valero
Borja Valero Iglesias (; born 12 January 1985) is a Spanish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder.
He began his career with Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid but did not have any impact with its first team, and play ...
,
Rubén de la Red
Rubén de la Red Gutiérrez (born 5 June 1985) is a Spanish football manager and former central midfielder.
He made a name for himself at Getafe after emerging through Real Madrid's ''La Fábrica''. Returning to his first club in 2008, he s ...
,
Dani Carvajal
Daniel "Dani" Carvajal Ramos (; born 11 January 1992) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a right back for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Spain national team.
Having risen through the Real Madrid youth ranks, he spent a sea ...
,
Álvaro Negredo
Álvaro Negredo Sánchez (; born 20 August 1985) is a Spanish professional Association football, footballer who plays for Cádiz CF, Cádiz as a Striker (association football), striker.
Nicknamed ''La fiera de Vallecas'' (The beast of Vallecas ...
,
Roberto Soldado
Roberto Soldado Rillo (; born 27 May 1985) is a Spanish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Segunda División club Levante UD, Levante.
After emerging through Real Madrid CF, ...
,
Rodrigo
Rodrigo is a Spanish, Portuguese and Italian name derived from the Germanic name ''Roderick'' (Gothic ''*Hroþareiks'', via Latinized ''Rodericus'' or ''Rudericus''), given specifically in reference to either King Roderic (d. 712), the last Vis ...
,
Dani Parejo
Daniel Parejo Muñoz (; born 16 April 1989) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Villarreal.
After starting out at Real Madrid, he first made a name in La Liga with Getafe. Transferring to Valencia in 201 ...
,
José Callejón
José María Callejón Bueno (; born 11 February 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Granada.
He began his career with the reserve teams of Real Madrid, but made a name for himself at Espanyol. In ...
,
Juanfran,
Javi García
Francisco Javier "Javi" García Fernández (; born 8 February 1987) is a Spanish former professional footballer who is an assistant manager for Benfica. A defensive midfielder by nature, he could also appear as a central defender.
He started ...
,
Álvaro Morata
Álvaro Borja Morata Martín (; born 23 October 1992) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the Spain national team.
He began his career at Real Madrid, making his debut with the sen ...
,
Jesé
Jesé Rodríguez Ruiz (; born 26 February 1993), known as Jesé, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Süper Lig club Ankaragücü.
An academy graduate of La Liga side Real Madrid, Jesé debuted for the senior te ...
and
Lucas Vázquez. The club has also produced some notable managers, including
Vicente del Bosque
Vicente del Bosque González, 1st Marquess of Del Bosque (; born 23 December 1950) is a Spanish retired football manager and former player. He is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time and is to date the only football manager to ha ...
and
Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez Maudes (born 16 April 1960) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who most recently managed club Everton.
Benítez joined Real Madrid's coaching staff at the age of 26, going on to work as the under- ...
.
As well as producing players from their own regions, both clubs have also recruited young players from throughout Spain and internationally. Recent examples include Argentines
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
,
Mauro Icardi
Mauro Emanuel Icardi Rivero (; born 19 February 1993) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Süper Lig club Galatasaray S.K. (football), Galatasaray, on loan fro ...
and
Esteban Cambiasso
Esteban Matías Cambiasso Deleau (; born 18 August 1980), nicknamed ''"Cuchu"'', is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
During his career, Cambiasso won 21 official titles, the majority of which were won dur ...
.
Poaching of players
Ever since the early days of
football in Spain
Football is the most popular sport in Spain. Spain has some of the most important teams in Europe (Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, Seville, Valencia, and others). It also has a high number of players (most of them being unprofessio ...
, one issue for ''cantera'' clubs is the poaching or recruiting of their players by other clubs. After the cantera has trained a player, another club will step in with a tempting offer and take them away. The potential of the Basque Country as a recruiting ground for players was recognised by the likes of Barcelona,
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...
and Real Madrid early on.
Barça, in particular, has a long history of signing players from the region, dating back to the acquisition of
Félix Sesúmaga
Félix Sesúmaga Ugarte (12 October 1898 – 24 August 1925) was a Spanish (Basque) footballer who played as a forward for Arenas Club de Getxo, FC Barcelona, Racing de Sama de Langreo, Athletic Bilbao and Spain.
Sesúmaga won the Copa del Re ...
. Others have included
Jesús Garay
Jesús Garay Vecino (10 September 1930 – 10 February 1995) was a Spanish Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Centre-back, central defender.
He amassed La Liga totals of 341 games and ten goals ov ...
,
Chus Pereda
Jesús María Pereda Ruiz de Temiño (15 June 1938 – 27 September 2011), also known as Chus Pereda, was a Spanish football midfielder and manager.
In a 16-year professional career, he played mainly for Barcelona, amassing La Liga totals of 1 ...
,
José Ramón Alexanko
José Ramón Alexanko Ventosa (; born 19 May 1956) is a Spanish retired footballer and manager, who later served as director of football of Valencia CF.
During his career the central defender played with success for both Athletic Bilbao and Ba ...
,
Javier Urruticoechea and, in more recent times,
Santiago Ezquerro
Santiago 'Santi' Ezquerro Marín (born 14 December 1976) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a forward.
Having made a name for himself at Athletic Bilbao, appearing in nearly 300 official games for the club in seven yea ...
. During the 1980s and 1990s, Barcelona poached a number of top Basque players, among them José Mari Bakero,
Txiki Begiristain
Aitor "Txiki" Begiristain Mujika (born 12 August 1964) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played mainly as a left winger but also as a forward, currently director of football of English club Manchester City.
He was best known for ...
,
Andoni Zubizarreta
Andoni Zubizarreta Urreta (, ; born 23 October 1961) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
The all-time most capped player for the Spain national team for several years, he played with individual and team su ...
,
Julio Salinas and
Ion Andoni Goikoetxea
Jon Andoni Goikoetxea Lasa (born 21 October 1965), often known as Goiko, is a Spanish retired footballer.
An attacking player of wide range, he operated in various positions on the right side of the pitch (right-back, midfielder or forward), ...
, enabling manager
Johan Cruyff
Hendrik Johannes Cruijff (, internationally known as Johan Cruyff; 25 April 1947 – 24 March 2016) was a Dutch professional football player and manager. As a player, he won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974. Cruyff was a ...
to build the legendary "Dream Team" around them.
The successful Atlético Madrid teams of the 1960s also included a notable Basque presence in the form of
Miguel Jones and
José Eulogio Gárate
José Eulogio Gárate Ormaechea (born 20 September 1944) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker for SD Eibar, SD Indautxu and Atlético Madrid. Born in Argentina, he represented the Spain national team at international l ...
, both recruited from
Indautxu
Indautxu is a quarter of central Bilbao, Basque Country (Spain), located in the district of Abando. It is a relatively affluent neighbourhood and is most famous for the large number of private hospitals and clinics, the large Society of Jesus sch ...
, and
Javier Irureta
Javier Iruretagoyena Amiano (born 1 April 1948), Irureta for short, is a Spanish retired football attacking midfielder and manager.
He had a distinguished playing career with Atlético Madrid and Athletic Bilbao, playing in 344 La Liga ga ...
, signed from Real Unión. Real Madrid has also regularly looked north for players such as
Rafael Alkorta
Rafael Alkorta Martínez (born 16 September 1968) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played mainly as a central defender. He is the current sporting director of Athletic Bilbao.
Having represented Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid ...
,
Mikel Lasa
Mikel Lasa Goikoetxea (born 9 September 1971) is a Spanish football retired player and current manager. He played as a left back. He currently manages Futuro Kings FC in Equatorial Guinea.
He played 267 La Liga matches over 13 seasons ( ...
,
Aitor Karanka
Aitor Karanka de la Hoz (Basque and ; born 18 September 1973) is a Spanish football manager and former player who was most recently the head coach of Segunda División club Granada.
Save for a brief spell in the United States at age 32, Karanka ...
and
Iván Campo
Iván Campo Ramos (born 21 February 1974) is a Spanish former professional footballer. Originally a centre-back, he featured in a defensive midfield role in the later years of his career.
He played for Real Madrid and four other teams in his c ...
.
Athletic Bilbao, however, have also been regularly accused of poaching. The Athletic policy of recruiting only Basque-players has seen them frequently recruit from the canteras of
other Basque clubs. In 1995, Athletic signed
Joseba Etxeberria
Joseba Andoni Etxeberria Lizardi (born 5 September 1977) is a Spanish retired footballer who played mostly as a winger, currently manager of CD Mirandés.
After starting his professional career at the age of 17 with Real Sociedad, he quickly s ...
from Real Sociedad, causing considerable ill feeling between the two clubs.
By the 1990s, the poaching of players took on a new dimension. Real Madrid in particular have regularly produced quality players unable to establish themselves with their home club. Some critics have argued that this has partly arisen because these clubs continue to use "imports" at the expense of cantera players. As a result, many graduates of the canteras seek their fortune elsewhere and are willing to be poached. Initially, cantera players only moved to other Spanish clubs, but in more recent times, English
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
clubs have begun recognizing the potential of the canteras. In 2003,
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
persuaded Cesc Fàbregas to leave Barcelona B with a much higher salary that Barcelona could not offer due to Spanish contractual law.
More recently, teenage star
Fran Mérida followed Fàbregas' footsteps and played some time for Arsenal's reserve team before returning to La Liga in 2010 with Atlético Madrid. Another emerging Barça B player, Gerard Piqué, subsequently signed for
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
, though he has since moved back to Barcelona. Since then, Rafael Benítez, himself a product of the ''cantera'', has recruited Luis García Sanz, Pepe Reina, Xabi Alonso and
Fernando Torres
Fernando José Torres Sanz (; born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Atlético Madrid Juvenil A. Due to his consistent goalscoring rate as a young player, ...
for
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, while Mikel Arteta established himself at
Everton. Luis García Sanz, Reina and Arteta all began their career at Barça; Alonso started out at Real Sociedad; and Torres developed in the Atlético system.
Other canteras
Other important canteras are:
Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league sy ...
(''
youth system
In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future if t ...
''):
Raúl Tamudo
Raúl Tamudo Montero (born 19 October 1977) is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a striker.
An icon at Espanyol, he captained the club for almost a decade, playing nearly 400 official games, winning two Copa del Rey an ...
,
Sergio,
Joan Capdevila
Joan Capdevila Méndez (; born 3 February 1978) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a left back.
Over 15 seasons in La Liga, he amassed totals of 410 matches and 36 goals, mainly for Deportivo and Villarreal. In a 21-y ...
,
Dani Jarque,
Alberto Lopo
Alberto Lopo García (born 5 May 1980) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a central defender.
His physical style of play resulted in him being one of the most booked players every season in Spanish football. He spent 16 ...
,
Javi Guerra
Javier "Javi" Guerra Rodríguez (; born 15 March 1982) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a striker.
He amassed Segunda División totals of 247 games and 86 goals over eight seasons, representing in the competition C ...
,
Sergio Sánchez,
André Bikey,
Enrique de Lucas
Enrique "Quique" de Lucas Martínez (born 17 August 1978) is a Spanish retired footballer who played mainly as an attacking midfielder.
He started his professional career with Espanyol, going on to amass La Liga totals of 168 games and 25 goals ...
,
Tintín Márquez
Bartolomé "Tintín" Márquez López (born 7 January 1962) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, currently the manager of Qatari club Al-Wakrah SC.
His career was closely associated to Espanyol, as both a player ...
,
Ricardo Zamora
Ricardo Zamora Martínez (; 14 February 1901 – 8 September 1978) was a Spanish footballer and manager. He played as a goalkeeper for, among others, RCD Espanyol, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. As an international he played for both the Cata ...
,
Jordi Gómez
Jordi Gómez García-Penche (; born 24 May 1985) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder.
After playing for the reserve teams of both Barcelona and Espanyol, he went on to spend the vast majority of his career i ...
,
Albert Serrán
Albert Serrán Polo (born 17 July 1984) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defender for CF Montañesa. He can occupy all three defensive positions.
Club career
Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Serrán was a product of RCD Espan ...
,
Miquel Soler
Miquel Soler Sarasols (born 16 March 1965) is a Spanish retired football player and manager.
Mainly a left back who could also operate as a wide midfielder, his career spanned two La Liga decades (with nearly 700 competitive matches), and he ...
,
Bruno
Bruno may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Bruno (name), including lists of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname
* Bruno, Duke of Saxony (died 880)
* Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne, ...
,
Miguel Palanca
Miguel Palanca Fernández (born 18 December 1987) is a Spanish former professional footballer. Mainly a right winger, he also operated as a forward.
Club career
Born in Tarragona, Catalonia, Palanca was a product of RCD Espanyol's youth academy ...
,
Coro,
Daniel Solsona
Daniel Solsona Puig (born 18 January 1952) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Club career
Born in Cornellà de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Solsona played in 373 La Liga games over 13 seasons in which he ...
,
Jordi Lardín,
Joan Golobart,
Víctor Ruiz,
Raúl Baena
José Raúl Baena Urdiales (; born 2 March 1989) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder and is currently a free agent.
Club career Espanyol
Born in Torrox, Province of Málaga, Andalusia, and after starting h ...
,
Dídac Vilà,
Joan Tomàs,
Miquel Robusté,
Javi Márquez,
Javier Chica,
David García,
Eric Bailly
Eric Bertrand Bailly (; born 12 April 1994) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays for Ligue 1 club Marseille, on loan from club Manchester United, and the Ivory Coast national team. Although he mainly plays as a centre-back, he ca ...
,
Jordi Amat
Jordi Amat Maas (; ; born 21 March 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Malaysia Super League club Johor Darul Ta'zim and the Indonesia national team.
He spent the better part of his career with Espanyol and Swa ...
,
Álvaro Vázquez
Álvaro Vázquez García (born 27 April 1991) is a Spanish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a striker (association football), striker for Indian Super League club FC Goa.
Club career Spain and Swansea City
Born in Barc ...
,
Jonathan Soriano
Jonathan Soriano Casas (; born 24 September 1985) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a striker.
He spent his early career with Espanyol and Barcelona, mostly with the respective reserve teams. In January 2012 he moved to ...
,
Jordi Xumetra
Jordi Xumetra Feliú (born 24 October 1985) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a right winger for UE Olot.
Club career
Born in L'Estartit, Girona, Catalonia, Xumetra finished his development at FC Barcelona, but only played for ...
and
Ricardo Saprissa
Ricardo Juan Antonio Saprissa Aymá (24 June 1901 – 16 August 1990) was a lifelong athlete, coach, and promoter of sports. After being raised in El Salvador, he spent many years in Costa Rica, playing and coaching football. In 1935 he was co ...
.
Sevilla
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Gua ...
:
Sergio Ramos
Sergio Ramos García (; born 30 March 1986) is a Spanish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Paris Saint-Germain and the Spain national football team, Spain nationa ...
,
José Antonio Reyes
José Antonio Reyes Calderón (; 1 September 1983 – 1 June 2019) was a Spanish professional footballer who played mainly as a left winger and also as a forward.
He made his debut for Sevilla aged 16 and signed for English club Arsenal in ...
,
Antonio Puerta
Antonio José Puerta Pérez (; 26 November 1984 – 28 August 2007) was a Spanish professional footballer who played solely for Sevilla.
Mainly a left midfielder who could also operate as an attacking left-back, he died on 28 August 2007 affec ...
,
Jesús Navas
Jesús Navas González (; born 21 November 1985) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a right winger or a right-back for La Liga club Sevilla.
He has spent the vast majority of his career with Sevilla, playing 605 official matches ...
,
Diego Capel
Diego Ángel Capel Trinidad (; born 16 February 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left winger.
He made his senior debut with Sevilla at 16, going on to appear in 173 competitive matches for the club over seven La Liga se ...
,
Lolo,
Carlos Marchena,
Alberto Moreno
Alberto Moreno Pérez (; born 5 July 1992) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for La Liga club Villarreal.
An academy graduate of local side Sevilla, he made his senior debut for the club's reserve side in 2011 befo ...
,
Sergio Rico
Sergio Rico González (born 1 September 1993) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain.
He began his career at Sevilla, where he twice won the Europa League while appearing in 170 c ...
,
Luis Alberto and
Manolo Jiménez .
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
:
Jordi Alba
Jordi Alba Ramos (born 21 March 1989) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team. He is often regarded as one of the best left-backs of his generation.
Alba started his ...
,
Juan Bernat
Juan Bernat Velasco (; born 1 March 1993) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain.
He began his career at Valencia, featuring in three La Liga campaigns for the club. He moved to Bayern ...
,
José Luis Gayà
José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ).
In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacu ...
,
Paco Alcácer
Francisco "Paco" Alcácer García (; born 30 August 1993) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a striker for UAE Pro League club Sharjah.
Having come through the Valencia youth ranks, he started playing with the first team in 2010 ...
,
David Silva
David Josué Jiménez Silva (born 8 January 1986) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for La Liga club Real Sociedad. Silva plays mainly as a central or an attacking midfielder but can also play as a winger or second striker. He is ...
,
Javi Navarro,
David Albelda
David Albelda Aliqués (; born 1 September 1977) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, currently a manager.
He played mainly for local Valencia during his extensive professional career, being team captain for ...
,
Raúl Albiol
Raúl Albiol Tortajada (born 4 September 1985) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for La Liga club Villarreal and the Spain national team.
A reliable and physically strong player who excels in the air, his main asset is his versati ...
,
Pablo Hernández,
Sisi Sissi or Sisi may refer to:
People
* Empress Elisabeth of Austria, known as "Sisi" or "Sissi"; spouse of Franz Joseph I of Austria
:Works about Sissi
:* ''The King Steps Out'' (1936), light comedy directed by Josef von Sternberg
:* Sissi trilogy (f ...
,
Jaime Gavilán,
David Navarro,
Vicente Guaita
Vicente Guaita Panadero (; born 10 January 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Crystal Palace.
He appeared in 176 La Liga matches over eight seasons with Valencia and Getafe, as well as a season on loa ...
,
Andrés Palop
Andrés Palop Cervera (; born 22 October 1973) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, currently a manager.
After having languished on the bench of hometown club Valencia for most of his stay, he became a premi ...
,
José Molina,
Miguel Ángel Angulo
Miguel Ángel Angulo Valderrey (; born 23 June 1977) is a Spanish former professional footballer, currently manager of Valencia CF Mestalla. Predominantly an attacking midfielder, he was also able to play as a right winger and even as a right-b ...
,
Juan Sánchez,
Gaizka Mendieta
Gaizka Mendieta Zabala (, ; born 27 March 1974) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
A versatile player, with good technique, offensive capabilities and tackling skills, who was capable of creating goals both ...
,
Paco Camarasa,
Javier Farinós and
Fernando
Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the G ...
.
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...
:
David de Gea
David de Gea Quintana (born 7 November 1990) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Manchester United. During the mid-2010s, he was widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Born in Madrid ...
,
Abel Resino,
Joel Robles,
Roberto
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
,
Antonio López,
Juan Manuel Ortiz,
Ignacio Camacho
Ignacio Camacho Barnola (; born 4 May 1990) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
An academy graduate at Atlético Madrid, he made his senior debut at the age of 17. He spent the next three years at ...
,
Mario Suárez,
Ibrahima,
Rubén Pérez,
Mario
is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...
,
Javier Arizmendi
Ángel Javier Arizmendi de Lucas (born 3 March 1984) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played either as a forward or winger.
He played 181 La Liga matches over nine seasons, scoring a combined 20 goals for Atlético Madrid, Ra ...
,
Manu
Manu may refer to:
Geography
* Manú Province, a province of Peru, in the Madre de Dios Region
**Manú National Park, Peru
** Manú River, in southeastern Peru
* Manu River (Tripura), which originates in India and flows into Bangladesh
*Manu Tem ...
,
Diego Rivas,
Iván Cuéllar
Iván Cuéllar Sacristán (born 27 May 1984), nicknamed Pichu, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Sporting de Gijón.
Formed at Atlético Madrid, he spent most of his career with Sporting de Gijón, where he made ...
,
Gabi,
Braulio,
Juanma López,
Roberto Solozábal,
Tomás,
Toni
Toni, Toñi or Tóni is a unisex given name.
In Spanish, Italian, Croatian and Finnish, it is a masculine given name used as a short form of the names derived from Antonius like Antonio, Ante or Anttoni.
In Danish, English, Finnish, Norwe ...
,
Raúl
Raul, Raúl and Raül are the Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Galician, Asturian, Basque, Aragonese, and Catalan forms of the Anglo-Germanic given name Ralph or Rudolph. They are cognates of the French Raoul.
Raul, Raúl or Raül may re ...
,
Juanito
Juanito is a given name or nickname, meaning "Little Juan" or Johnny. Notable people with the name include:
Professional footballers
* Juan Ignacio Gomez Taleb (born 1985), Argentinian forward
* Juan Díaz Sánchez (1948–2013), Spanish forwa ...
,
Koke and
Fernando Torres
Fernando José Torres Sanz (; born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Atlético Madrid Juvenil A. Due to his consistent goalscoring rate as a young player, ...
.
Osasuna
Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional football club in Pamplona, Navarre. Founded on 24 October 1920, the club currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at the 23,576-capacity El ...
(''
youth system
In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future if t ...
''):
José Ángel Ziganda
José Ángel 'Cuco' Ziganda Lakunza (born 1 October 1966) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a centre-forward. He is the current manager of SD Huesca.
He played 381 La Liga matches over the course of 12 seasons (111 g ...
,
Ion Andoni Goikoetxea
Jon Andoni Goikoetxea Lasa (born 21 October 1965), often known as Goiko, is a Spanish retired footballer.
An attacking player of wide range, he operated in various positions on the right side of the pitch (right-back, midfielder or forward), ...
,
Iñigo Larrainzar
Iñigo Larrainzar Santamaría (born 5 June 1971) is a Spanish retired footballer who played mainly as a right back.
Also a central defender on occasion, his older brother Domingo, often referred to as ''Larrainzar I'', was also a footballer, an ...
,
José Mari,
César Cruchaga,
Javier López Vallejo
Javier López Vallejo (born 22 September 1975) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Club career
Born in Pamplona, López Vallejo began his career at hometown's CA Osasuna, making his first appearance for the main squad no ...
,
Santiago Ezquerro
Santiago 'Santi' Ezquerro Marín (born 14 December 1976) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a forward.
Having made a name for himself at Athletic Bilbao, appearing in nearly 300 official games for the club in seven yea ...
,
Marí Lacruz,
Patxi Puñal Patxi is a male given name in the Basque language area in northern Spain and south-west France, but more commonly a nickname for those officially named Francisco (or François in the French zone, ultimately cognates of Francis); the original Basq ...
,
Tiko
Tiko, originally called ‘Keka’ by the Bakweris, is a town and important port in the southwest region of Cameroon. The settlement grew as a market town for Duala (or Douala) fishermen, Bakweri (Kpwe people) farmers and hunters from Molyko, ...
,
Pablo Orbaiz
Pablo Orbaiz Lesaka (born 6 February 1979) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
After starting out with Osasuna, he went on to play 11 years in La Liga with Athletic Bilbao, ,
David López,
Javier Flaño,
Miguel Flaño,
Raúl García,
Oier,
Javi Martínez
Javier "Javi" Martínez Aginaga (; born 2 September 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or central defender for Qatar Stars League club Qatar SC.
He arrived at Athletic Bilbao in 2006, before his 18t ...
,
Nacho Monreal
Ignacio "Nacho" Monreal Eraso ( or ; born 26 February 1986) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a left-back or centre-back.
He started playing with Osasuna in 2005, going on to appear in 144 official games over the cou ...
,
César Azpilicueta
César Azpilicueta Tanco (born 28 August 1989) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Chelsea and the Spain national team.
A youth product of Osasuna, Azpilicueta spent three seasons in La Liga before switchin ...
,
Roberto Torres,
Mikel Merino
Mikel Merino Zazón (; born 22 June 1996) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Sociedad and the Spain national team.
After starting out at Osasuna, he went on to play for Borussia Dortmund, Newcas ...
and
Álex Berenguer
Alejandro "Álex" Berenguer Remiro (born 4 July 1995) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Athletic Bilbao. He began his career at Osasuna in 2014, and played in Italy with Torino for three seasons before joining Athle ...
.
References
External links
*{{in lang, es}
Voluntad de tradición an article on the Athletic Bilbao ''cantera policy''
The lost boys of Barcelona by Ronald Atkin
Spanish language
Sports terminology
Sport in Spain
Youth football in Spain