Los gudaris del balón

The gudaris of the ball were Basque soccer players who used the sport for solidarity purposes during the Spanish civil war. They fought with their best weapon, the ball, crowding the soccer fields, and with their collections they managed to mitigate the hardships of the war and place the Basque Country on the world map. Nine months after the outbreak of the war, in April 1937, Lehendakari José Antonio Agirre promoted the Basque football team under the name of Euzkadi with the aim of carrying out humanitarian and propaganda work in favor of the Basque Government. That team was made up of many of the best players of the time, and that fame allowed them to reap high collections for solidarity purposes. After two and a half years of touring different countries, the team dissolved in August 1939. At that time, Mexico became a safe and prosperous haven for the players. Since the first Basque team was created in 1915, the period from 1937 to 1939, the history of which is included in this book, constitutes the most important part on a historical and sporting level.