Our History
Ricardo Ibarretxe (1927–1985), while born in Bilbao, originally from Llodio (Álava) where he spent his early childhood and youth before later settling in Arrigorriaga (Bizkaia) after his marriage. Throughout his professional life, he worked as a property developer, legal adviser and managing director for businesses and private clients. He was widely recognised not only for his professional achievements, but for placing his knowledge, experience and extensive network at the service of people and the wider community.
Throughout his life, Ricardo Ibarretxe championed and supported numerous social and community initiatives with generosity and without seeking personal recognition. Among many examples, he provided legal assistance to residents affected by the expropriations linked to the Vasco Aragonesa motorway; contributed to the maintenance and development of Club de Fútbol Padura, including supporting the construction of its grandstand; helped the local Ikastola during its formative years by providing educational materials and school furniture; successfully advocated for the construction of the pedestrian underpass at the entrance to Arrigorriaga to improve public safety; and consistently placed his professional expertise and network at the service of local residents, associations and community organisations, helping secure grants, financial assistance and employment opportunities.
Although Arrigorriaga was where his commitment found its greatest expression, his dedication to public service extended well beyond its boundaries. Similar examples of his contribution can be found in other communities connected to his professional life, including Llodio, Bilbao, Madrid and Gran Canaria, where he likewise worked to support the wellbeing and development of those around him.
Arrigorriaga
Club Padura
Club Deportivo Padura has always been more than a football club: it is part of the identity and history of Arrigorriaga. When the construction of the motorway threatened the expropriation of its grounds and the possible disappearance of the club, Ricardo Ibarretxe stepped forward to defend its future.
He placed himself at the forefront of the efforts to stop the expropriation, helping preserve the Santo Cristo field and ensuring that Padura could remain at the heart of the community. His determination proved decisive at a moment when the club's very survival was at risk.
With the threat of expropriation overcome and Padura's future secured, Ricardo Ibarretxe once again turned commitment into action. When the ground needed to be rebuilt, he began the works with employees from his own construction company and personally advanced the funds required to keep the project moving until public aid arrived.
Community
When the motorway project threatened to cut through Arrigorriaga, many families faced not only the loss of their homes, but the risk of being left with compensation far below the true value of everything they were losing. Ricardo Ibarretxe stood beside them, placing his legal knowledge and experience at their service so that ordinary residents would not have to confront the process alone. His support helped protect their rights, dignity and ability to rebuild their lives.
At a defining moment in its beginnings, Ricardo Ibarretxe provided the Joseba Andoni Uriarte Ikastola with all the equipment it needed, giving the project the practical means to take shape, establish itself and grow into a lasting centre for education in Euskera.
Working alongside lawyer Juan Cambreleng, now a founding trustee of the Foundation, he also campaigned for and helped secure the installation of a traffic light at the entrance to Arrigorriaga. After serious accidents had claimed lives there, their efforts transformed a dangerous crossing into a safer gateway to the town, protecting residents and helping prevent further tragedy.
He helped protect the Sociedad de Caza y Pesca Epera from the consequences of the same expropriation process, working to preserve its facilities and continuity.
As well, together with lawyer Paco Hernando, now a founding trustee of the Foundation, Ricardo Ibarretxe provided his legal expertise at the service of the community of Arrigorriaga.
For many people in Arrigorriaga, Ricardo Ibarretxe became the trusted person they could always turn to when their future felt uncertain. Without seeking payment or personal benefit, he helped residents find employment, guided entrepreneurs through the creation, transfer or closure of businesses, and assisted families and local initiatives in accessing finance, loans and public support. His greatest contribution was often not merely solving an immediate problem, but opening a path forward where none had seemed possible.
Beyond
Madrid
During the redevelopment of several BBVA-owned housing complexes in Madrid, some long-standing tenants were offered the opportunity to acquire their homes on favourable terms. Yet for a number of families, even those conditions remained beyond their means, leaving them at risk of losing the homes in which they had built their lives.
Ricardo Ibarretxe, working alongside lawyer Paco Hernando, now a founding trustee of the Foundation, sought individual solutions for those facing the greatest difficulty. Their efforts enabled vulnerable residents to remain in their homes for the rest of their lives, ensuring that redevelopment did not come at the cost of security, dignity and belonging.
Gran Canaria
Alongside his business activities in Gran Canaria, Ricardo Ibarretxe worked with lawyer Juan Cambreleng, today a founding trustee of the Foundation, to make part of land intended for future development available to the neighbouring community for the creation of a football pitch. Together, they transformed unused land into a place where young people could gather, play and feel part of something greater.
For a community that had long lived on the margins, the pitch offered far more than sport. It created belonging, purpose and renewed confidence in its future. Their work showed how private initiative, guided by responsibility and care for others, could help a neighbourhood come together and begin a transformation that continues to define it today.
Legacy
The impact of Ricardo Ibarretxe's life endured far beyond the work he carried out, leaving a lasting mark on the people and communities around him.
Decades later, his contribution continues to be remembered, and his name remains closely associated with a legacy of service to others.
Calle Ricardo Ibarretxe
Ricardo Ibarretxe's contribution was remembered not only by those who knew him, but ultimately in the very fabric of the community. José Ramón Bilbao Ruiz, in a letter recalling his exceptional character and constant willingness to help others, proposed that a street should bear his name as a lasting recognition of that service.
The dedication of Calle Ricardo Ibarretxe gave public form to a memory that had long remained alive among those he helped — a lasting tribute to a man whose impact was felt quietly, personally and without ever seeking recognition.
Club Padura
Ricardo Ibarretxe played a decisive role in one of the most difficult moments in the history of Club Deportivo Padura. When the construction of the Vasco-Aragonesa motorway threatened the club's grounds through expropriation, his support and intervention helped ensure that Padura could remain in Arrigorriaga and continue its activity. He later continued supporting the club, contributing to improvements to its facilities and helping secure its future.
That contribution has remained part of Padura's memory ever since. His name is commemorated through plaques and tributes at the club, and following his death a special tribute match was held in his honour with the participation of Athletic Club. These recognitions reflect the enduring place Ricardo Ibarretxe holds in the history of Padura and in the generations that followed.
