A couple of months back, we had a thread about Atletico Bilbao and how shirts from Sunderland FC, as reported by a football article, were deemed to have been the colours the Spanish club adopted. The story was that a club representative had come over to the UK to buy 50 club kits and couldn't find any that were suitable. In desperation, the rep was standing in the port and looked to the local club and picked up some shirts from it. Now, several of us were either vaguely aware of the story, or knew it well. The great surprise had been that Sunderland was the club in the article. From our memories, it had been Southampton. Logic suggested that if a person was going to leave the UK for Spain, by boat, one would leave via the Port of Southampton [and not from some city up north where all the football is supposed to be played, of course]. What I wasn't aware of was that Atletico Madrid had also taken the colours and shirts, because the two Spanish clubs are connected. Well here is an article which redraws history in the way that we all remember it: http://sportwitness.ning.com/forum/...how-both-teams-are-linked-by-southampton-and- Rarely are two teams in a European final so connected in history as Athletic Club and Atletico Madrid, the sides which do battle in Bucharest have an entwined past which makes this evening even more of an event. The two clubs both wear red and white stripes, and many assume this is is simply a coincidence but in fact it dates back to one of those interesting stories which pop up frequently in football. Basque students wanted to form a branch of Athletic Club (Bilbao) in Madrid and in 1903 started Athletic Club de Madrid. Just like the Bilbao branch of the team, the Madrid side originally played in a blue and white kit similar to Blackburn Rovers. In 1911 a representative of the Basque club went to England in search of new kits for the team and simply couldn't find any. He'd almost given up hope when, waiting in Southampton to return home, he realised the local club's colours were similar to the Basque flag and took 50 shirts back. Representatives agreed on the kit change, luckily for the hapless kit finder, and half were sent to Madrid. Athletic Club de Madrid decided to keep their blue shorts, hence the way the kit is now, and the original Athletic Club went for black shorts. At the time in Spain mattresses were invariably red and white striped and the Madrid club became known as The Mattress Makers, Los Colchoneros. Later on they would change slightly their name to Atletico Club de Madrid and of course now have no ties with the Bilbao club, the unsuccessful young man who went to get a blue and white kit couldn't have dreamed his second choice shirts would be the kit of choice for two teams in a European final over one hundred years later. Of course both teams can't wear their traditional red and white stripes tonight and as such Athletic Club will be wearing green. There are slight variants to this story but this is the most widely told and believed one, included in the histories of both clubs. Enjoy the game. Spoiler Alert: In the event, Madrid beat Bilbao 3-0 [<--highlight text to reveal].
