5 football clubs and their unique traditions

For many, all tradition left in football, and perhaps sport for that matter, evaporated the second money began being poured into the game. The pragmatic black of old boots morphed into stylish pink and green, while kissing the badge after scoring a screamer no longer meant committing yourself to a club, but buying some time with the fans before the next big-money move.A large part of the football community feels that the sport has lost its humble touch but there are, believe it or not, still some sides out there that abide by the principles on which their club was built. Whether it be the smallest, most unnoticeable thing, the flames of tradition are still very much flickering across the continent with some of the biggest teams.Here’s a handful of sides that have opted to stick with some truly unique traditions.

#1 Basque Bilbao

Bilbao sign only Basque-born players

Athletic Bilbao’s inability to sign anyone born outside of Basque country sits at the heart of the club’s legacy. It has drawn both admirers and critics and dictates that the club can only pick from a unique pool of Basque-born players, either through their youth system or from other sides. The policy was set out in 1912 and, although there’s been a heightened sense of leniency in recent years, the raw basics still remain.

Although an atypical tactic in a multicultural football market, the policy certainly hasn’t hindered the club’s progress. While Athletic have still been able to attract top talent, including the likes of Javi Martinez, Fernando Llorente and Ander Herrera, they’ve also maintained a record held by only two other Spanish outfits (you can probably guess the duo); they have never been relegated from the nation’s top division.

So why does this admirable tradition draw so much criticism? Well, it’s been viewed by some as a form of racial discrimination, denying those who were not born in Basque region the opportunity of working for Bilbao. That said, others feel it’s a breath of fresh air and is one of the few transfer structures that benefits home-grown talent.

#2 Tiki-Taka Barca

Cryuff revolutionised Barcelona's playing style

Even those with the most minimal football knowledge are able to recognise that Barcelona play football in an extra special way. While Messi and company continue to revolutionise the game with their ongoing string of accolades, their match-day approach has always remained the same throughout time.

Indeed the stylistic approach employed by Barcelona today was born from the mind of Johan Cruyff. After strolling into the club in 1988, the Dutchman shook up personal but tweaked the club’s tactical set-up in a way that would change the shape of the modern football picture. Drab defensive focus was absent and the midfield became overloaded with numbers in a ground-breaking 3-4-3 formation. Focus was placed on ball retention and scoring goals as opposed to grounding out 1-0 results.

Cruyff hypothesised that when a team had the ball, they moved better and Barcelona began exposing teams in a far more narrow shape. Under Cruyff’s stewardship, the club went on to win four league titles, one European cup, one cup winners cup and one Spanish cup.

Pep Guardiola was very much the fulcrum of that side and orchestrated the transition of such ideologies to the Barca of today and with ball retention a key aspect installed into the Catalonian's’ youth side, it seems this tradition will live long with Barcelona.

#3 Arsenal Jersey

Flamini was slammed by Wenger for tearing down his jersey's sleeves

Both Arsenal fans and the club as a whole are great ambassadors for tradition in modern football. The kit itself may have undergone minor tweaks with time but the general design of red with white sleeves has stayed the same and this is regarded as one of the most iconic football jerseys today.

That said, there’s more than meets the eye to this prestigious strip. Every match, the entire team have either long-sleeves or short-sleeves and this decision is dictated by what the captain opts to wear. It may seem a bizarre concept and it’s one which got Matthieu Flamini’s knickers in a twist two seasons ago in a match at Old Trafford.

The players had been informed they must wear long-sleeves but the Frenchman favoured the shorter alternative and so cut his sleeves, leading to a rollicking from kit man Vic Akers and a dressing down from Wenger who echoed the importance of tradition that runs through the veins at Arsenal football club.

At present, Mikel Arteta is official club skipper, so when the Spaniard does make a rare cameo appearance, players should expect to be wrapped up in long-sleeves given the heated environment the 33-year-old grew up in.

#4 Madrid\'s Galacticos

The ‘Galacticos’

Now for a tradition more recently installed into a club’s manifesto. Amidst all the hype surrounding Real Madrid’s impending transfer ban, the new man in the dugout Zinedine Zidane has to begin assessing his squad while facing the prospect that no further additions can be made for a couple of seasons.

It’s a practically unthinkable reality for a side that has earned the reputation for being heavy spenders since the turn of the century and, following Florentino Perez’s election as club president in 2000, the club quickly developed the reputation of employing ‘Galacticos’ – meaning world class, reputable and expensive players.

Year on year, Perez invested in a new ‘Galactico’. Luis Figo was the first, arriving from Barcelona for approximately £40 million, before the club’s current gaffer Zidane was brought in the following year for £46 million from Juventus. Ronaldo was signed in 2003 for £30 million, before Walter Samuel became the fourth consecutive gargantuan signing in as many years, signing for £24 million in 2004.

Although the tradition of one per year may have faded, Los Blancos still pride themselves on making big money signings every season, with Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo two of the more ‘recent’ ones, while even the likes of Mateo Kovacic and Lucas Romero strained the purse strings.

#5 You\'ll Never Walk Alone

The famous Shankly Gates

Liverpool are a club steeped in history. The Merseysiders maintain the title as the most decorated club in European football, having won eighteen league titles, five European cups, seven FA cups and eight League cups, but it’s very much four words, that really stimulate goosebumps, which lay at the heart of what the club is all about.

For any football fan, albeit any aside from those who support Everton or Man United, the sight of the Kop End decorated with fans erecting red scarves and signs to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s famed melody sends shivers down their spines. More importantly perhaps, it’s immediately associated with the club as a whole.

It heightens the club’s sentimental value and reminds fans of the Reds that, no matter how difficult times become through an arduous campaign, they can always draw faith from memories of the glory years. The captivating chant is not the only iconic tradition gracing Anfield though, the words themselves are engraved along the Shankly Gates outside of the ground, while the prominent sign at the end of the players’ and manger's tunnel also portrays them.