Oscar de Marcos

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Born in Laguardia, Álava, de Marcos made his professional debut for nearby Alavés. He first appeared in the Segunda División in the home fixture against Tenerife on 21 December 2008, coming on as a late substitute in a 2–1 loss. He eventually played 20 games with the first team, as they dropped down a level at the season's end. He started his career as a forward. In July 2009, de Marcos went straight into La Liga, penning a four-year deal with Athletic Bilbao for about €350,000. He made his club debut on 6 August in a 2–1 win at Young Boys in the UEFA Europa League, as a starter. Ten days later, he opened the scoring against Barcelona in the season's Supercopa de España, as the Basques eventually lost 2–1 at home and 5–1 on aggregate. Having been signed initially for the reserve squad, de Marcos had more impact than expected – as did 16-year-old Iker Muniain – making 29 official appearances during 2009–10 and scoring three goals. He played his only match with the B team on 14 April 2010 against Zamora. De Marcos appeared less in his second season, but was also used as a full-back by manager Joaquín Caparrós, finishing the year with 15 games in all competitions. The following campaign, under Marcelo Bielsa, he played in that position and also in central midfield. On 17 December 2011, de Marcos played roughly one hour of the league fixture against Real Zaragoza (2–1 home win) with a tear in his scrotum, which later required 25 stitches. On 4 January of the following year he extended his contract with the Lions until June 2016, with a release clause of €32 million. De Marcos scored both legs of the 2011–12 Europa League round of 16 against Manchester United, as Athletic won both games and went through 5–3 on aggregate. He also scored in the next round against Schalke 04, playing in a total of 15 ties to help his team reach the final in Bucharest, where they were defeated by Atlético Madrid. They also made it to the decisive match in the domestic cup, losing to Barcelona. On 13 October 2014, de Marcos agreed to a new three-year extension until 30 June 2019, with a buyout clause being set at €40 million. He also featured in all ten matches in both the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, but did not take part in the 2015 Spanish Cup final due to suspension (once again the result was a defeat to Barcelona, and his inexperienced replacement Unai Bustinza strugg

In Their Own Story

On 22 February 2025, de Marcos announced his retirement at the end of the season. The following day, in a 7–1 home victory over Real Valladolid, he overtook Iker Muniain to become the outfield player with the most appearances (561) in club history, trailing only goalkeeper José Ángel Iribar. His final appearance came in a home fixture against Barcelona where he finished with exactly 573 official matches (472 starts). The match incorporated a farewell ceremony and saw him pass the captain's armband to Iñaki Williams. The number '18' squad, worn by only three players in the previous three decades—Bittor Alkiza, Carlos Gurpegui, and de Marcos—was subsequently assigned to Mikel Jauregizar.

Reader's Guide

De Marcos is a Spanish former professional footballer who played mainly as a full-back. He began his career at Alavés but went on to spend most of it at Athletic Bilbao, making 573 official appearances (setting the club record for an outfield player) and winning the 2023–24 Copa del Rey as well as two Supercopa de España titles. He also featured for the unofficial Basque Country regional team.

Did You Know?

• He started his career as a forward.
• He played roughly one hour of a league fixture with a tear in his scrotum, which later required 25 stitches.
• He is red-green colour blind, which has occasionally caused him difficulty as a footballer.
• He authored a short book in collaboration with Athletic Bilbao's community foundation about his first year at the club and a trip to Togo.