In a team composed entirely of players from the Basque Country, a player with Brazilian roots makes his debut.

Athletic Bilbao's defeat to Newcastle last Wednesday in the Champions League marked Selton Sánchez's debut for the Basque team's first team. The midfielder, whose mother is Brazilian, made his debut at age 18, coming on as a substitute in the 2-0 loss to the English side.

Selton was born in 2007, is 18 years old, and was recently promoted to the first team, having developed at the club and previously played for Basconia, the reserve team of the Basque Country capital club. The Basque-Brazilian came on as a substitute for Jauregizar in the 24th minute of the second half, wore the number 44 shirt, and had 13 touches on the ball, completing nine of the ten passes he attempted.

Athletic Club Bilbao is a unique team in world football. The team only signs Basque players or those with a connection to the region. In Selton's case, the player was born in Durango, a city in the province of Biscay, within the Basque Country.

Unlike Real Sociedad, their biggest rival, Athletic Bilbao has not opted to have foreign players with no connection to the region. Instead, they always try to use their youth academy and look for players who have some connection to the region. This is the case with defender Aymeric Laporte, who was born on the French side of the Basque Country, and goalkeeper Álex Padilla, who chose to represent Mexico but was born in the region.

Highlight at the base

Selton has been one of Athletic Bilbao's standout players in the Youth League, scoring one goal and providing three assists. His performance caught the eye of coach Ernesto Valverde, who integrated the player into the first team and had already included him in the squad for the derby against Real Sociedad.