The Tijuana Xolos officially announced the signing of Unai Bilbao this Tuesday, June 18. Bilbao became the second signing for Club Tijuana in this transfer window after the addition of Emanuel Reynoso.

Bilbao is a 30-year-old Spanish centre-back, who had been playing at Atletico San Luis since 2018. The Basque defender was part of the San Luis team that was able to achieve promotion to the Liga MX in the 2018-2019 season.

Bilbao has amassed over 100 appearances with Atletico San Luis, and the only other Mexican team he has played with is Necaxa. The 30-year-old began his career in the prestigious Athletic Club de Bilbao youth academy but was never able to crack the senior team. Bilbao played with several Basque teams in lower-tier leagues before arriving at Atletico San Luis in 2018.

El experimentado defensor llega a reforzar la zaga Xoloitzcuintle 🫡

¡Bienvenido @unai_bilbao20! ❤️🖤#FuerzaTijuas 💪 | 📝: https://t.co/6h7sv6GTyh pic.twitter.com/FSuTl5q33P

— Xolos 🐕 (@Xolos) June 18, 2024

The Spanish defender is a unit standing in at 6-foot-3, as his physical presence is one of his best attributes and is very useful in the Liga MX. New Xolos’ boss Juan Carlos Osorio has been known to be a manager that gives priority to tall and strong players, especially in the backline, as set-piece scoring opportunities are a fundamental part of his game plan.

Bilbao also has the special ability to be clinical from the penalty spot, as he has functioned as San Luis’s main penalty taker at times. In the 2023 Apertura season, Bilbao was able to score five goals for Atletico San Luis, as he is a threat offensively as well.

Some big teams in Liga MX had rumored interest in Bilbao after his five goal season, as this move to Club Tijuana is a bit surprising. This type of transfer shows that Club Tijuana’s front office is very serious with Juan Carlos Osorio’s project and that there is ambition to try and succeed in the next campaign.

This weekend, Club Tijuana will play some preseason games away from home when Xolos take on Necaxa on June 22 in Aguascalientes and Atletico San Luis in San Luis Potosi on June 25. Bilbao was already officially preseneted with the border city club and he will be incorporated to the squad immediately.

Francisco Velasco

Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.