Athletic Club 97/98 – Home Shirt

The 1997–98 season was a landmark year for Athletic Club Bilbao under Luis Fernández, as the team achieved their highest La Liga finish since their 1984 title, ending as runners-up to Barcelona and securing a place in the UEFA Champions League for the first time since the competition’s reformatting. Domestically, Joseba Etxeberria emerged as the team’s top scorer with 11 league goals, contributing significantly to their success. In the Copa del Rey, Athletic reached the quarterfinals for the first time in three years but were eliminated on away goals by Mallorca, the eventual runners-up. In the UEFA Cup, Athletic impressed by defeating Sampdoria in the first round with a strong 4–1 aggregate win but fell to Aston Villa in the second round after a narrow 2–1 aggregate loss.