Maite Zubieta

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Maite Zubieta
MaiteZubieta (cropped).jpg
Zubieta playing for Spain U23, 2024
Personal information
Full name Maite Zubieta Aranbarri
Date of birth (2004-05-28) 28 May 2004 (age 20) [1]
Place of birth Busturia, Spain [2]
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s)
Team information
Current team
 Athletic Club
Number 16
Youth career
2018–2019 Athletic Club
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2019–2020 Athletic Club C 10 (1)
2020–2023 Athletic Club B 59 (2)
2022– Athletic Club 59 (1)
International career‡
2019 Spain U17 1 (0)
2020 Spain U16 1 (0)
2021–2023 Spain U19 17 (0)
2022–2024 Spain U20 11 (0)
2023– Spain U23
2024– Spain 3 (0)
2022– Basque Country 1 (0)
Medal record
Women's football
Representing Flag of Spain.svg  Spain
FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
Winner 2022 Costa Rica
UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship
Winner 2022 Czech Republic
Winner 2023 Belgium
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 February 2025
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 27 February 2025

Maite Zubieta Aranbarri [a] (born 28 May 2004) is a Spanish footballer who plays as a midfielder or central defender for Athletic Club and the Spain women's national football team.

Contents

Club career

Zubieta joined Athletic Club's academy aged 14. After progressing through the ranks (one season in the 'cadet' youth team, half a season with the newly-formed C-team before being assigned to the B-team, two further seasons there), she made her professional debut as a late substitute in a Liga F fixture against Madrid CFF in December 2022, aged 18, [3] and her first start six weeks later in a defeat away to Alhama CF. On the back of her performances she was officially promoted from the reserves to the senior squad in May 2023, and signed a contract extension running to 2025. [4] [5] During her debut campaign she was mostly used in her preferred role of central midfield, but at the beginning of the 2023–24 Liga F season she became a regular starter as a central defender, with Athletic enduring an ongoing injury crisis in that position. [6] [7]

International career

Having had minimal opportunities to play for younger age groups due to restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zubieta made her debut for Spain at under-19 level in October 2021 against Portugal. She became a regular in the team and was a member of the squads which won the 2022 Euros in the Czech Republic followed by the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Costa Rica [4] (alongside clubmates Ane Elexpuru and Clara Pinedo). [8] [9] She was still young enough to take part in the 2023 U-19 Euros in Belgium and again returned home with a gold medal, [10] this time accompanied by fellow Athletic players Jone Amezaga and Sara Ortega. [11]

Zubieta made her debut for the senior Spain team in November 2024, as a substitute in a 5–0 friendly victory over South Korea (club teammate Adriana Nanclares also gained a first cap, though as a starter). [12] Her first competitive appearance was also from the bench, in a 1–0 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League defeat away to England in February 2025. [13]

She has also been selected for the unofficial Basque Country women's national team which plays only occasionally, making her first appearance in December 2022 against Chile. [14]

Honours

Spain U19

Spain U20

References

  1. ↑ In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Zubietaand the second or maternal family name is Aranbarri.
  1. ↑ Maite Zubieta at Soccerway. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  2. ↑ "Zubieta". BDFutbol. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  3. ↑ "Maite Zubieta, la mejor deportista 2022" [Maite Zubieta, the best athlete 2022]. Deia (in Spanish). 8 January 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  4. 1 2 "El Athletic renueva el contrato de Maite Zubieta por dos temporadas" [Athletic renews the contract of Maite Zubieta for two seasons]. EITB (in Spanish). 29 May 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  5. ↑ Maite Zubieta extends contract until 2025, Athletic Club, 29 May 2023
  6. ↑ Carlos Zaballa (7 September 2023). "Ane Elexpuru y Maite Zubieta dan el salto definitivo en el Athletic" [Ane Elexpuru and Maite Zubieta make the decisive jump to Athletic]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  7. ↑ Carlos Zaballa (18 September 2023). "El nuevo Athletic de David Aznar" [David Aznar's new Athletic]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  8. ↑ Carlos Zaballa (29 August 2022). "Elexpuru, Zubieta y Pinedo se proclaman campeonas del mundo Sub-20" [Elexpuru, Zubieta and Pinedo are proclaimed Under-20 world champions]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  9. ↑ San Mamés tribute for our World U-20 and European U-19 champions, Athletic Bilbao, 3 September 2022
  10. ↑ Spain retain trophy for fifth Under-19 EURO title, UEFA, 30 July 2023
  11. ↑ Endika Río (30 July 2023). "Ortega, Zubieta y Amezaga volverán a Bilbao como campeonas" [Ortega, Zubieta y Amezaga return to Bilbao as champions]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  12. ↑ "Crónica | España fue España. República de Corea sufrió su instinto goleador (5-0)" [Report | Spain was Spain. Korea Republic suffered from its goal-scoring instinct (5-0)]. RFEF (in Spanish). 29 November 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  13. ↑ David Menayo (26 February 2025). "España perdona y lo paga en Wembley" [Spain forgives and pays for it at Wembley]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  14. ↑ "La Euskal Selekzioa logra una contundente victoria ante Chile (3-0)" [The Basque Selection achieves a resounding victory against Chile (3-0)]. EITB (in Spanish). 21 December 2022.
  15. ↑ "2022 Women's U19 EURO: Road to the title". UEFA.com. 9 July 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  16. ↑ "Spain win 2023 Women's U19 EURO: At a glance". UEFA.com. 30 July 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  17. ↑ "Paralluelo propels Spain to revenge and glory". FIFA.com. 28 August 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
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