A few days ago, on November 20, Jonás Ramalho shared on his X account the 13th anniversary of his debut as an Athletic Club player. At first glance, it seemed to be another debut among hundreds in the history of the red-and-white club, for a player who, in reality, only wore that shirt 12 more times. However, it was much more than that.
On November 20, 2011, Ramalho involuntarily made history by becoming the first black player (at least officially) to play an official match for Athletic. This milestone was a consequence of the long-standing philosophy that establishes that only those born and educated in Euskal Herria (Basque Country, Navarra and the French Basque Country) can wear the colors of the Bilbao club.
Less than four years later, on March 5, 2015, Athletic achieved what remains to this day its last league victory against Real Madrid. It took place in San Mamés, the scene of Wednesday’s match (9:00 p.m.), in preparation for the Super Cup match. In that squad, a young and thin Iñaki Williams was experiencing his takeoff, signaling a definitive change within the club.
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This change not only reflected Athletic; It also reflected changes within Basque and Spanish society in general. The presence of black players in the Bilbao club symbolizes that Euskadi and Spain are now more plural and diverse than before, as a result of immigration, carrying the implicit message of growing equality of opportunities for those who have arrived from other parts of the world or who are his descendants.
Today, this Athletic, coached by Ernesto Valverde as it was in 2015, seeks to end a decade-long league title drought against the same Real Madrid that is now coached by Carlo Ancelotti, which has four black players on its roster. . The pioneer Iñaki Williams is now the team’s second captain, behind the indomitable Óscar de Marcos. His brother Nico has become the star of the team, European champion, ranked 15th in the Ballon d’Or and a target for the main European clubs.
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Along with them, since this summer, are Álvaro Djaló and Adama Boiro. Djaló was born in Madrid 25 years ago and moved to Bilbao with a foster family at a very young age, where he started playing football. After seven years developing and standing out in Portuguese football, Athletic decided to pay 15 million euros to Sporting Braga for his services, a transfer agreed in winter and completed this summer.
Adama Boiro is the only one of the ‘Black Power’ leaders in Athletic who was not born in Spain. He was born in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, before moving with his family to Pamplona at the age of four. He trained in Osasuna’s youth system until last January, when Athletic paid the release clause of two million euros to sign him. At just 22 years old, he is set to replace compatriot Yuri Berchiche at left back and scored his first goal just a week ago against Swedish side Elfsborg in the Europa League.
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Also in the mix is Malcolm Adu Ares, a Bilbao-born winger and cousin of Djaló, currently on loan at Real Zaragoza this season after having a limited involvement under Valverde in the last two years.
“My case was very visible not only in Euskadi, but also at the national level. It seemed that a black player could not play for Athletic, but that prejudice has been disappearing,” said the eldest Williams a few months ago, possibly the club’s most important player in this century. Aritz Aduriz could rival him in strictly sporting terms, but the social aspect clearly tips the balance towards the Ghanaian international.
“I always joke with my teammates that by 2025 we will have a complete eleven of black players,” the forward joked months ago in statements to ‘As’. An exaggeration, surely, but with a basis of truth. Bita and Oyono are waiting for their opportunity in the first team, Bilbao Athletic. Many others are doing it in the lower categories. This means a feeling of naturalness and a new era in which a debut like Jonás Ramalho’s is no longer news for Athletic. Now he is just one more among the hundreds that have passed through the history of the red and white club.
