Athletic Bilbao To Present Southampton Legend Matt Le Tissier With Their First Ever ‘One-Club Man’ Award

Chris Wright

24th, April 2015

10 Comments

By Chris Wright

Being the jolly good sports they are, Athletic Bilbao have decided to create their very own “One Club Men” award, with which they plan to pay an annual tribute to those players around the world who spent their entire professional careers with just one team.

The very first, inaugural award winner is one Matthew Le Tissier, who famously devoted his entire footballing life to Southampton Football Club between 1986 and 2002.

In an announcement on the Basque club’s official website, the club confirmed that Le Tissier will “receive his award on Tuesday, April 28 at half-time during the La Liga match between Athletic Club and Real Sociedad”.

How bloomin’ nice of them. It’s a lovely idea, and fitting that Bilbao are the proponents. Somehow, it seems to mean that little bit more coming from them, being a club famous for prizing home-grown loyalty and all.

Now, seeing that we went and mentioned Le Tiss, it’s only fair that we leave this here…

Bliss.

Posted in La Liga, Newsnow, Southampton

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10 Comments

  1. Gattsu says:
    April 24, 2015 at 10:32 am

    Lovely Stuff!

    [Before I even clicked I was going to right something smarmy about where the hell was the Le Tiss set to Mozart but I’ve been put in place]

    Reply
  2. Kingsland101 says:
    April 24, 2015 at 10:58 am

    Apaprently the reason Bilbao and Madrid play in red and white is because of Saints.

    They used to play in blue and white halves, and sent someone to London to buy kits, but he couldn’t find enough blue and white so went back to Southampton ready for the boat home empty handed. He then noticed that the city colours matched the red and white city colours of Bilbao, and bought 50 shirts which upon return Bilbao immediately addopted. They sent half of them to Athletico Madrid as apparently it was the youth section of the team back then.

    Never knew that until I read it on Ugly Inside today. Could be a complete lie though.

    Reply
    • malato says:
      April 29, 2015 at 11:42 am

      Hi. I am An Athletic Club of Bilbao supporter. The Bilbao part story is completely true. A Director of the club travelled to england in 1909 (Athletic club was founded in 1898)to buy cmplete equipments of the Blackburn rovers. The reasons: same colors i those days blue and White and de superior quality of the sport shirts made in england sport shirts in comparison with the non developened sport market in Spain. But he could not buy the equipmentes i do not know why. The fact is, when he returned to Bilbao in a vessel from Southampton he bought Southampton Football Club equipments. When he arrived Bilbao, the Club president, following the characteristic practical mentality of Bilbao people decided to resolve the problem changinn th Official Athletic Club colours!. Fom this day Thor colours are red and White shirt and black trousers. The Atlético Madrid part ( note: atlético in spanish not Athletic in english like Bilbao athletic club)has got those colours due it was founded by students form Bilbao livin in Madrid as an Athletic Club of Bilbao branch. after some years they became an independent club. Hope it helps and excuse the mistakes of my not good enough english

      Reply
  3. James Taylor says:
    April 24, 2015 at 1:41 pm

    @Kingsland101 — I think that is a lie actually. I’s always heard that Bilbao got their kits from Sunderland…

    Reply
  4. matty says:
    April 24, 2015 at 5:00 pm

    2:50 -> 2:55
    Scores a belter, turns and gives a thumbs up.
    Class.

    Reply
  5. Ed says:
    April 24, 2015 at 5:34 pm

    It was Atletico Madrid who got their kits from Southampton, not sure about Bilbao though

    Reply
  6. Pendergast says:
    April 24, 2015 at 10:42 pm

    Athletic began playing in an improvised white kit, but in the 1902–03 season, the club’s first official strip became half-blue, half-white shirts similar to those worn by Blackburn Rovers, which were donated by Juan Moser. Later, a young student from Bilbao named Juan Elorduy, who was spending Christmas 1909 in London, was charged by the club to buy 25 new shirts, but was unable to find enough. Waiting for the ship back to Bilbao and empty handed, Elorduy realised that the colours of the local team Southampton matched the colours of the City of Bilbao, and bought 50 shirts to take with him. Upon arriving in Bilbao, the club’s directors decided almost immediately to change the team’s strip to the new colours, and since 1910, Athletic Club have played in red and white stripes. Of the 50 shirts bought by Elorduy, half were then sent to Atlético Madrid, which had originally begun as a youth branch of Athletic. Before the switch from blue and white to red and white, only one other team wore red and white, Sporting de Gijón, since 1905.
    It makes sense, if you ask me: San Mamés, The Cathedral…The Saints!
    Obviously, a team made in heaven.

    Reply
  7. Nich Fallon says:
    April 25, 2015 at 11:31 am

    The story here goes that on arriving in Southampton the guys sent to get the shirts got drunk and with time running out just bought the red and white…………Which ever way it happened Tiss was a great player and it is fitting that this reward comes from Athletic who onlytake players from the Basque Country and have many “one club men” in their history.

    Reply
  8. PetrovskyKSC says:
    April 28, 2015 at 12:38 am

    This is by far the best article i’ve read on pies in at least twelve months. Le Tissier combined with mozart and good knowledgeable people telling absorbing tales about the purest football club in the world. Sorry for being a little too much on the cheesy side here but i simply can’t help it right now.

    Reply
  9. Pendergast says:
    April 29, 2015 at 6:02 pm

    Stand up ovation from San Mames here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNWBECgxLVI
    Btw, the one handing him the award is another legend, Jose Angel Iribar, international , another One-club man and amazing goalkeeper admired by Yashin. Awesome stuff to watch, indeed.
    As someone said, you know it’s a special occasion when LeTiss puts on a tie!.

    Reply

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