| 1996–97 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| President | José María Arrate | ||
| Head coach | Luis Fernández | ||
| Stadium | San Mamés | ||
| La Liga | 6th (In 1997–98 UEFA Cup) | ||
| Copa del Rey | Fourth round | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Cuco Ziganda (17)[1] All: Ismael Urzaiz (18) | ||
|
| |||
The 1996–97 season was the 96th season in Athletic Bilbao's history and their 66th consecutive season in La Liga, the top division of Spanish football.
Season summary
Athletic had been without a permanent head coach since replacing Dragoslav Stepanović with caretaker manager José María Amorrortu in March 1996. They filled the vacancy ahead of the new season by appointing Spanish-born Frenchman Luis Fernández,[2] previously manager of Paris Saint-Germain in his adopted homeland.
Fernández's appointment led to an immediate improvement in league form, and Bilbao finished the La Liga season in 6th place.[3] This was their best league finish since 1993–94, and also meant a return to the UEFA Cup in 1997–98.
Their performance in the Copa del Rey, however, left room for improvement. They were eliminated at the last sixteen stage by Racing Santander, following an ill-tempered second leg at San Mamés which saw three players red carded.[4]
Squad statistics
Appearances and goals
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | La Liga | Copa del Rey | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| 1 | GK |  ESP |
Juanjo Valencia | 23 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | ESP |
Iñigo Larrainzar | 40 | 1 | 38+1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | ESP |
Aitor Karanka | 39 | 1 | 35+2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 10 | DF | ESP |
Aitor Larrazábal | 40 | 5 | 35+2 | 5 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | ESP |
Josu Urrutia | 39 | 0 | 36+1 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | ESP |
Julen Guerrero | 43 | 16 | 37+1 | 15 | 5 | 1 |
| 18 | MF | ESP |
Bittor Alkiza | 43 | 4 | 36+3 | 3 | 2+2 | 1 |
| 23 | MF | ESP |
José Mari | 36 | 2 | 28+5 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | ESP |
Cuco Ziganda | 46 | 17 | 31+11 | 17 | 1+3 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | ESP |
Ismael Urzaiz | 42 | 18 | 30+8 | 16 | 4 | 2 |
| 13 | GK | ESP |
Imanol Etxeberria | 25 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | ESP |
Joseba Etxeberria | 36 | 6 | 25+10 | 6 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | ESP |
Carlos García | 17 | 3 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF |  FRA |
Bixente Lizarazu | 18 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | ESP |
Óscar Vales | 27 | 0 | 15+8 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | ESP |
Andoni Goikoetxea | 37 | 0 | 10+21 | 0 | 5+1 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | ESP |
Sergio Corino | 18 | 1 | 8+7 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 27 | MF | ESP |
Felipe Guréndez | 18 | 0 | 6+7 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | ESP |
Edu Alonso | 13 | 0 | 5+3 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | ESP |
Genar Andrinúa (c) | 12 | 2 | 4+4 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 22 | DF | ESP |
Óscar Tabuenka | 4 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | FW | ESP |
Bolo | 25 | 3 | 2+17 | 1 | 3+3 | 2 |
| 20 | DF | ESP |
Eduardo Estíbariz | 8 | 0 | 2+2 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 |
| 29 | MF | ESP |
Mikel Kortina | 3 | 1 | 1+1 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 |
| FW | ESP |
Álvaro Florentino | 4 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | |
| MF | ESP |
Raúl Otxoa | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | |
| DF | ESP |
Javier Díaz Neira | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 16 | MF | ESP |
Ricardo Mendiguren | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | GK | ESP |
Iñaki Lafuente | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FW | ESP |
Ibán Espadas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | ESP |
David Gallo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | ESP |
Raúl Gil | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Results
La Liga
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Real Betis | 42 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 81 | 46 | +35 | 77[a] | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[b] |
| 5 | Atlético Madrid | 42 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 76 | 64 | +12 | 71 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 6 | Athletic Bilbao | 42 | 16 | 16 | 10 | 72 | 57 | +15 | 64[c] | |
| 7 | Valladolid | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 57 | 46 | +11 | 64[c] | |
| 8 | Real Sociedad | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 50 | 47 | +3 | 63 |
Source: LFP
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head goals scored; 5) goal difference; 6) number of goals scored.
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head goals scored; 5) goal difference; 6) number of goals scored.
Notes:
- BET 1–2 DEP; DEP 3–0 BET
- Since Barcelona, winners of 1996–97 Copa del Rey, was qualified for the 1997–98 UEFA Champions League, losing cup finalists Real Betis earned a spot in the first round of the 1997–98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.
- VLD 0–0 ATH; ATH 0–0 VLD
Matches
Real Betis v Athletic
| 1 September 1996 (1996-09-01) 1 | Real Betis | 3–0 | Athletic | Sevilla |
Finidi George  14'Roberto Rios 44'Sabas 85' |
Stadium: Benito Villamarin Attendance: 45000 |
Athletic Bilbao v Rayo Vallecano
| 2 | Athletic Bilbao | 3–2 | Rayo Vallecano | Bilbao |
| Carlos Garcia 51' Ziganda 68'Jose Mari 75' |
Guilherme 40' Ameli 73' |
Stadium: San Mamés Attendance: 35,000 |
Real Oviedo v Athletic
| 15 September 1996 3 | Real Oviedo | 2–0 | Athletic | |
| Oli 61' Paulo Bento 83' |
Attendance: 13,000 |
Athletic Bilbao v RCD Espanyol
| 21 September 1996 4 | Athletic Bilbao | 2–2 | RCD Espanyol | Bilbao |
| Larrazabal 19' (pen.) Bolo 46' |
Luis 54' (pen.) Pochettino 81' |
Stadium: San Mamés Attendance: 30,000 |
Racing Santander v Athletic
| 28 September 1996 5 | Racing Santander | 1–2 | Athletic | |
| Bestchastnisch 28' |
Urzaiz 39' Ziganda 70' |
Attendance: 19,000 |
Athletic Bilbao v Real Sociedad
| 2 October 1996 6 | Athletic Bilbao | 1–3 | Real Sociedad | Bilbao |
| Ziganda 36' |
Craioveanu 25' De Paula 31'Idiakez 82' |
Stadium: San Mamés Attendance: 40,000 |
Real Zaragoza v Athletic
| 12 October 1996 7 | Real Zaragoza | 1–1 | Athletic | Zaragoza |
| Higuera 46' |
16' Ziganda |
Stadium: La Romareda Attendance: 30000 |
Athletic v CD Tenerife
| 19 October 1996 8 | Athletic | 2–0 | CD Tenerife | Bilbao |
| Stadium: San Mamés |
SD Compostela v Athletic
| 23 October 1996 9 | SD Compostela | 1–1 | Athletic | |
| Penev 47' |
Guerrero 72' |
Attendance: 8,500 |
Athletic Bilbao v Logroñés CF
| 27 October 1996 10 | Athletic Bilbao | 6–0 | Logroñés CF | Bilbao |
| Guerrero 9', 40', 71' Ziganda 30', 67'Etxeberria 22' |
Stadium: San Mamés Attendance: 38,000 |
Sevilla FC v Athletic
| 3 November 1996 11 | Sevilla FC | 4–2 | Athletic | |
| Rafa Paz 7' (pen.), 87' Tevenet 37'Salva 69' |
Urzaiz 4' Guerrero 80' |
Attendance: 46,350 |
Athletic v Valencia CF
| 16 November 1996 12 | Athletic | 2–0 | Valencia CF | Bilbao |
| Ziganda 16' Etxeberria 77' |
Stadium: San Mamés Attendance: 40,000 |
Sporting Gijon v Athletic
| 17 November 1996 13 | Sporting Gijon | 2–4 | Athletic | Gijón |
| Sergio 9' Julio Salinas 82' |
Report | Urzaiz 5' Guerrero 56'Ziganda 68', 78' |
Stadium: El Molinón Referee: Prados García |
Athletic v FC Barcelona
| 23 November 1996 (1996-11-23) 14 | Athletic | 2–1 | FC Barcelona | Bilbao |
Jose Mari 62'  Guerrero 76'Korino Alkiza |
Report | 25' Abelardo Sergi Barjuan Guardiola Couto |
Stadium: San Mamés Referee: Hernanz Angulo |
Real Valladolid v Athletic
| 1 December 1996 15 | Real Valladolid | 0–0 | Athletic | |
| Attendance: 25,000 |
Athletic v Atlético Madrid
| 7 December 1996 (1996-12-07) 16 | Athletic | 1–1 | Atlético Madrid | Bilbao |
| Etxebarria 67' |
40' Pantic |
Stadium: San Mamés Attendance: 40,000 |
Athletic Bilbao v Extremadura UD
| 22 December 1996 17 | Athletic Bilbao | 0–0 | Extremadura UD | Bilbao |
| Stadium: San Mamés Attendance: 35,000 |
Real Madrid v Athletic
| 5 January 1997 (1997-01-05) 18 | Real Madrid | 1–0 | Athletic | Madrid |
| Raúl 59' |
Report | Stadium: Santiago Bernabéu |
Athletic v Celta Vigo
| 12 January 1997 19 | Athletic | 2 – 2 | Celta Vigo | Bilbao, Spain |
| Ziganda 7' Alkiza 55' |
Report | 51' Gudelj 76' Berges |
Stadium: San Mamés Referee: Manuel Díaz Vega |
Deportivo La Coruña v Athletic
| 19 January 1996 20 | Deportivo La Coruña | 2–2 | Athletic | A Coruña |
| Donato 4' (pen.) Martins 44' |
26' Ziganda 87' Guerrero |
Stadium: Riazor Attendance: 22,000 |
Athletic Bilbao v Hércules CF
| 26 January 1997 21 | Athletic Bilbao | 5–0 | Hércules CF | Bilbao |
| Ziganda 19', 65' Larrainzar 34'Guerrero 60', 84' |
Stadium: San Mamés Attendance: 35,000 |
Athletic v Real Betis
| 2 February 1997 (1997-02-02) 22 | Athletic | 0–3 | Real Betis | Bilbao |
| Report | 4' Alfonso 25' Olias 72' Kowalczyk 72 |
Stadium: San Mamés Attendance: 40,000 |
Rayo Vallecano v Athletic
| 9 February 1997 23 | Rayo Vallecano | 1–1 | Athletic | |
| Moreau 15' |
Urzaiz 70' |
Attendance: 12,000 |
Athletic Bilbao v Real Oviedo
| 16 February 1997 24 | Athletic Bilbao | 3–2 | Real Oviedo | Bilbao |
| Urzaiz 49', 67', 85' |
Gamboa 20' Ivan Ania 79' |
Stadium: San Mamés Attendance: 36,000 |
RCD Espanyol v Athletic
| 19 February 1997 25 | RCD Espanyol | 0–2 | Athletic | |
| Larrazabal 10' Urzaiz 60' |
Attendance: 21,000 |
Athletic Bilbao v Racing Santander
| 23 February 1997 26 | Athletic Bilbao | 2–2 | Racing Santander | Bilbao |
| Urzaiz 54' Larrazabal 64' (pen.) |
Correa 2' (pen.) Arpon 46' |
Stadium: San Mamés Attendance: 40,000 |
Real Sociedad v Athletic
| 2 March 1997 27 | Real Sociedad | 0–0 | Athletic | |
| Attendance: 30,000 |
Athletic v Real Zaragoza
| 9 March 1997 28 | Athletic | 2–2 | Real Zaragoza | Bilbao |
| Etxeberria 21' Karanka 32' |
17' Poyet 90' Poyet |
Stadium: San Mamés Attendance: 37000 |
CD Tenerife v Athletic
| 14 March 1997 29 | CD Tenerife | 3–3 | Athletic | Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
| Stadium: Heliodoro Rodriguez |
Athletic Bilbao v SD Compostela
| 23 March 1997 30 | Athletic Bilbao | 2–2 | SD Compostela | Bilbao |
| Guerrero 37', 45' |
Popov 52' Penev 84' |
Stadium: San Mamés Attendance: 40,000 |
Logroñés CF v Athletic
| 30 March 1997 31 | Logroñés CF | 1–4 | Athletic | |
| Ruben Sosa 7' |
Ziganda 10', 74' Urzaiz 38', 67' |
Attendance: 13,000 |
Athletic Bilbao v Sevilla FC
| 6 April 1997 32 | Athletic Bilbao | 0–0 | Sevilla FC | Anoeta |
| Attendance: 28,600 |
Valencia CF v Athletic
| 12 April 1997 33 | Valencia CF | 5–2 | Athletic | Valencia |
| Ortega 2', 26' (pen.) Moya 29'Leandro 3', 34' |
43', 65' Urzaiz |
Stadium: Mestalla Attendance: 40,000 |
Athletic v Sporting Gijon
| 16 April 1997 34 | Athletic | 4–0 | Sporting Gijon | Bilbao |
| Larrazábal 42' (pen.) Urzaiz 46', 57'Guerrero 72' |
Summary | Stadium: San Mamés Referee: Japón Sevilla |
FC Barcelona v Athletic
| 20 April 1997 (1997-04-20) 35 | FC Barcelona | 2–0 | Athletic | Barcelona |
| Abelardo 48' Ronaldo 64' |
Report | Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 65,000 Referee: Puentes Leira |
Athletic Bilbao v Real Valladolid
| 4 May 1997 36 | Athletic Bilbao | 0–0 | Real Valladolid | Bilbao |
| Stadium: San Mamés Attendance: 40,000 |
Atlético Madrid v Athletic
| 10 May 1997 (1997-05-10) 37 | Atlético Madrid | 2–1 | Athletic | Madrid |
Karanka  13' (o.g.)Kiko 73' |
30' Carlos Garcia |
Stadium: Vicente Calderón Attendance: 40,000 |
Extremadura UD v Athletic
| 18 May 1997 38 | Extremadura UD | 1–2 | Athletic | |
| Juanito 85' |
Alkiza 24' Ziganda 84' |
Attendance: 11,000 |
Athletic v Real Madrid
| 24 May 1997 (1997-05-24) 39 | Athletic | 1–0 | Real Madrid | Bilbao |
| Carlos García 56' |
Report | Stadium: San Mames |
Celta Vigo v Athletic
| 1 June 1997 40 | Celta Vigo | 0 – 2 | Athletic | Vigo, Spain |
| Report | 65' Ziganda 75' Etxeberria |
Stadium: Balaídos Referee: Fernando Carmona Méndez |
Athletic v Deportivo La Coruña
| 16 June 1997 41 | Athletic | 1–0 | Deportivo La Coruña | Bilbao |
| Guerrero 63' |
Stadium: San Mamés Attendance: 40,000 |
Hércules CF v Athletic
| 22 June 1997 42 | Hércules CF | 3–2 | Athletic | |
| Pavlicic 15' Alfaro 17'Diego Lopez 20' |
Kortina 40' Andrinua 51' |
Attendance: 14,000 |
See also
External links
- Official website (in English, Basque, and Spanish)
References
- "Athletic Bilbao » Appearances Primera División 1996/1997". worldfootball.net. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- "Luis Fernandez : la légende du "machote" de Bilbao n'a pas pris une ride". rmcsport.bfmtv.com. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- "LaLiga 1996/1997 Table, Results, Fixtures – (Football/Spain)". flashscore.co.uk. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- "Un vasco echa al Athletic" (PDF). Mundo Deportivo. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- "Athletic Bilbao » Squad 1996/1997". worldfootball.net. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- "Athletic Bilbao – 1996/97". FootballSquads. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- "Athletic Bilbao » Appearances Copa del Rey 1996/1997". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 23 November 2020.