10 Coolest Clubs In World Football

A team you can’t help but be impressed by due to their self-imposed restrictions regarding players. Bilbao will only allow players who were either born in the Basque country or have Basque ancestry to play for them. And that Basque country in question has a population of only 2 million people. The British equivalent would be like saying Southampton could only use players from Hampshire.

And what’s crazy is not just that they can survive in La Liga with this cantera policy in place, but that they can hang around with Europe’s big dogs. Bilbao have never been relegated from the top division and do all this with Barcelona in their backyard vying for the best youth prospects.

Something which is the very heartbeat of Bilbao football is their youth academy. It's the best in Europe, better than La Masia or Ajax’s; and it has to be for the team to work. Recent players include Javi Martinez, Iker Munian, Ander Herrera and Aymeric Laporte and it works for Bilbao, because ultimately, there is no alternative, only this way. It’s why they are free to play without any fear.