Athletic Club de Bilbao Team of the Decade (2000-2010)

Continuing our series of the best players of the noughties, we travel up north to the Basque Country courtesy of Paul from bilbao.theoffside.com

The past decade has been relatively unspectacular for Athletic. For most of the decade, the team finished around mid-table, with the best year coming in 2003-04 with a 5th place finish, and the worst coming in 2006-07 where Los Leones fought for La Liga survival and finished 17th. Going into the next decade, Athletic seems to be somewhat resurgent, with a young team to build upon for the future.

Instead of speculating on the team’s future, though, let’s review the best players of the past decade, using a 4-2-3-1 formation.

GK: Daniel Aranzubia
Dani was a Lezama product and a member of Athletic’s squad from 2000-2008. While not a world-class goalkeeper, he was still very solid between the sticks and was one of the key players who led Athletic to their 5th place finish in 2003-04 and the UEFA Cup the following year. Like many Athletizales, Aranzubia clearly loves the club and to this day still speaks positively of Athletic when he comes to visit. After the emergence of Gorka Iraizoz and injury in 2007-08, Aranzubia became a surplus player and was sold to Deportivo de La Coruña, where he is their #1. Aranzubia was capped one time for the Spanish national team in 2004, and was Spain’s third-choice ‘keeper during the Euro 2004 tournament.

RB: Andoni Iraola
Another player from Athletic’s cantera, Iraola has been an Athletic Club first-teamer since 2003. Iraola has been a fixture in the first-team since his debut- he has never played fewer than 30 matches for the club. He is a solid defender who can also do a competent job attacking down the right wing if needed, and is a solid set-piece taker for Athletic. Iraola has also emerged in recent years as a leader for Athletic, and was in the running to become the team’s captain after the departure of Joseba Etxeberria. He has already made nearly 300 appearances for the club and has been capped with the Spanish national squad four times since 2008. He has also made five appearances for Euskadi.

CD: Aitor Karanka
Karanka only played two full seasons with Athletic Club during the last decade, so his inclusion may be somewhat ceremonial. He was a product of Athletic’s youth system and played with the first-team from 1993-1997. After a spell with Real Madrid, Karanka returned to Athletic in 2002 and his leadership and solid defense helped Athletic to their fifth-place finish in 2003-04. After only making six appearances for Athletic in 2004-05, Karanka moved to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer, where he retired after the season. He earned one cap for Spain in 1995 and appeared six times for Euskadi from 1994-2004. He coached Spain’s U15 squad from 2008-2010, and joined Real Madrid as Jose Mourinho’s assistant this past year.

CD: Fernando Amorebieta
Yet another Lezama product, the Venezuelan-born, Basque-bred and raised Amorebieta has only been with Athletic’s first-team since 2005. During that time, he has established himself as a solid, strong defender who isn’t afraid of fouls- the type of defender Athletic Club is well known for. Amorebieta has yet to appear for the Spanish national squad so far, and apparently has also been interested in playing for Venezuela. At 25 years old, he still has a good part of his career ahead of him.

LB: Asier del Horno
Asier del Horno began his career in Athletic’s youth ranks as a central defender before moving to left-back, and as such was more of a rock on the left side than an attacker. He made his debut at just 19 for the club, and showed much promise. He was sold in 2005 to Chelsea FC, where he lifted the Premier League title his first season. Sadly, del Horno has struggled the past few years- he moved to Valencia, where he was loaned to Athletic during the 2007-08 season, but has never really looked the same player since an ankle injury in 2006. He earned 10 caps with the Spanish national team and scored one goal.

DM: Pablo Orbaiz
Orbaiz has been with Athletic since 2000, when he moved from Osasuna. He had established himself as an important midfielder for Athletic, and was another key member of the 5th placed 2003-04 squad. Orbaiz is a leader from the midfield, and replaced the retired Etxeberria as first-choice captain this season. Unfortunately, though, Orbaiz has suffered from injury issues throughout his career which have, at times, prevented him from seeing much action. Orbaiz has earned four caps for Spain.

DM: Carlos Gurpegui
Gurpegui is a product of Athletic’s youth system and has been a consistent rock in the midfield since establishing himself in the first-team in 2002-03. Gurpegui has also emerged as a leader in the past few seasons, and has captained the team much this season, as Orbaiz has not seen much action. Gurpegui is somewhat of a cult hero with Athletic, and an outpouring of support came for the player when he received a two-year ban for doping, which he served until 2008.Gurpegui has never been capped for Spain, but has played three times for Euskadi.

RW: Joseba Etxeberria
Joseba Etxeberria was the face of Athletic Club during the last decade. A fairly versatile player, Etxeberria could play as an attacking midfielder or a striker, but played mostly as a right-winger. He was never the most prolific goalscorer, but was an excellent team-player and managed to score a career-high 14 league goals in 2002-03. Etxeberria played at least 20 league matches every season except his final season (2009-10), when, in a show of true loyalty, he played without a salary. He ended his career in third place on Athletic’s all-time appearances list, and earned 53 caps (with 12 goals) for the Spanish national team.

AMC: Julen Guerrero
Like Etxeberria, Guerrero was a one-club man, appearing 372 times for Athletic club’s first team throughout a long career. He didn’t enjoy his best years during the 2000s, but was still a playmaking force with much shooting power and set-piece skill. Guerrero retired in 2006, and earned 41 caps for Spain from 1993-2000 (with 13 goals), and is tied with Etxeberria for the most caps for the Basque Country with 11.

LW: Francisco Javier Yeste
Arrogant and volatile, Yeste may not have been the most easily likable player to play for Athletic, but was still a beloved figure for the club. He came through Athletic’s cantera and established himself in the first-team in the 1999-2000 season. Before leaving for Middle Eastern money after this past season, Yeste appeared 302 times for Athletic and scored 50 goals. In his final appearance for Athletic Club in 2010, he scored a beautiful goal against Real Madrid. Yeste never earned a cap for Spain, and currently plays with Emirati club Al-Wasl FC.

ST: Fernando Llorente
The 2000s were a decade that lacked any true prolific goalscorers. In that regard, Fernando Llorente is really no different- he debuted for Athletic in 2005 and since that time has a respectable-yet-unimpressive total of 56 goals in 180 appearances. Still, he provides a physical presence up front. Llorente has been consistent in the clutch for Athletic, scoring many of his goals at key times during matches. Llorente earned his first cap for Spain in 2008 and since then has earned 13 caps with 7 goals to his name. He lifted the 2010 World Cup trophy with Spain and won the Silver Boot at the 2005 U-20 World Cup. Llorente’s star may be on the rise to everyone else, but Athletic fans have known his importance for a while now.