Igor Zubeldia

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Zubeldiaand the second or maternal family name is Elorza.

Igor Zubeldia

Zubeldia with Real Sociedad in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Igor Zubeldia Elorza [1]
Date of birth	(1997-03-30) 30 March 1997 (age 28) [1]
Place of birth	Azkoitia, Spain
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) [1]
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder, centre-back
Team information
Current team	Real Sociedad
Number	5
Youth career
2008–2015	Real Sociedad
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2017	Real Sociedad B	52	(3)
2016–	Real Sociedad	237	(3)
International career
2015	Spain U18	4	(0)
2018–2019	Spain U21	4	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:11, 24 August 2025 (UTC)

Igor Zubeldia Elorza (born 30 March 1997) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or a central defender for La Liga club Real Sociedad.

Club career

Born in Azkoitia, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Zubeldia joined Real Sociedad's youth setup in 2008, at the age of 11. ^[2] In June 2015, he reached the reserve team in the Segunda División B. ^[3]

Zubeldia made his senior debut on 29 August 2015, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 away loss against CD Ebro. On 25 February of the following year, he renewed his contract with Sanse until 2021. ^[4]

Zubeldia made his first team – and La Liga – debut on 13 May 2016, replacing fellow youth graduate Rubén Pardo in the dying minutes of a 1–0 away win over Valencia CF. ^[5] Ahead of the 2017–18 season, he was definitely promoted to the main squad. ^[6]

On 20 December 2017, after just 30 seconds on the pitch, Zubeldia scored his first goal in the Spanish top flight to put the hosts ahead in the 76th minute of an eventual 3–1 home defeat of Sevilla FC. ^[7] The next 29 June, he agreed to an extension until 2024. ^[8]

Zubeldia contributed 31 league games in the 2022–23 campaign (39 in all competitions), as the club finished fourth and returned to the UEFA Champions League ten years later. ^{[9] [10]} His debut in the competition took place on 20 September 2023, in a 1–1 group-stage home draw against Inter Milan. ^[11]

Zubeldia made his 300th competitive appearance for Real on 10 May 2025, playing the second half of the 4–0 loss at Atlético Madrid. ^[12]

Career statistics

As of match played 24 August 2025 ^{[13] [14]}

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Real Sociedad B	2015–16	Segunda División B	27	1	—		—		—		27	1
	2016–17		25	2	—		—		—		25	2
	Total		52	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	52	3
Real Sociedad	2015–16	La Liga	1	0	0	0	—		—		1	0
	2016–17		4	0	0	0	—		—		4	0
	2017–18		25	1	1	0	5 [a]	0	—		31	1
	2018–19		33	0	4	1	—		—		37	1
	2019–20		33	0	8 [b]	0	—		—		41	0
	2020–21		24	1	2	0	4 [a]	0	1 [c]	0	31	1
	2021–22		26	0	1	0	7 [a]	0	—		22	0
	2022–23		31	1	3	0	5 [a]	0	—		39	0
	2023–24		30	0	5	0	8 [d]	0	—		43	0
	2024–25		28	0	5	0	8 [a]	0	—		41	0
	2025–26		2	0	0	0	—		—		2	0
	Total		237	3	29	1	37	0	1	0	304	4
Career total			289	6	29	1	37	0	1	0	356	7

1. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
2. Includes appearance in 2020 Copa del Rey final (played in 2021)
3. Appearance in Supercopa de España
4. Appearances in UEFA Champions League

Honours

Real Sociedad

• Copa del Rey: 2019–20 ^{[15] [16]}

Spain U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2019 ^[17]

References

1. "Zubeldia". Diario AS . Retrieved 21 April 2022.
2. "Elkarrizketa" [Interview] (in Basque). CD Azkoitia. Retrieved 14 May 2016.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
3. "Altas y bajas en el Sanse" [Ins and outs at Sanse] (in Spanish). Real Sociedad. 6 June 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
4. "Bautista, Zubeldia, Odriozola and Sangalli renew with Real Sociedad". Real Sociedad. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
5. Picó, Diego (13 May 2016). "Al final, por fin el fin" [In the end, finally the end]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 May 2016.
6. Badallo, Óscar (22 November 2017). "Zubeldia, el agente doble de Eusebio" [Zubeldia, Eusebio's double agent]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 May 2025.
7. Malagón, Manuel (20 December 2017). "Un final de cuento" [Fairy tale to end it]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 December 2017.
8. "Presente y futuro asegurados" [Present and future assured] (in Spanish). Real Sociedad. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
9. Badallo, Óscar (8 April 2025). "Zubeldia tendrá que esperar para el 300" [Zubeldia will have to wait for the 300th]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 May 2025.
10. Ramajo, Roberto (18 September 2023). "La Real se prepara para su regreso a la Champions" [Real get ready for their return to the Champions League]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 May 2025.
11. "El 1x1 de la Real Sociedad: un partido de notables y sobresalientes en el equipo de Imanol" [Real Sociedad's 1x1: a match of A's and B's in Imanol's team] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 20 September 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
12. Campos, Abraham (11 May 2025). "Premio amargo para Zubeldia" [Bitter prize for Zubeldia]. Estadio Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 May 2025.
13. Igor Zubeldia at BDFutbol
14. Igor Zubeldia at Soccerway
15. Reidy, Paul (3 April 2021). "Athletic Club 0–1 Real Sociedad: result, summary, goal". Diario AS. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
16. Lowe, Sid (3 April 2021). "Real Sociedad beat Athletic to claim Copa del Rey and Basque glory". The Guardian . Retrieved 3 April 2021.
17. "Spain U21 2–1 Germany U21". BBC Sport. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.

External links

• Real Sociedad official profile
• Igor Zubeldia at BDFutbol