Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Maite Zubieta Aranbarri | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | [1] | 28 May 2004|||||||||||||||||||||||||
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* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2019–2020 | Athletic Club C | 10 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2020–2023 | Athletic Club B | 59 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2022– | Athletic Club | 26 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2019 | Spain U17 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2020 | Spain U16 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2021–2023 | Spain U19 | 17 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2022– | Spain U20 | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2022– | Basque Country | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12 December 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 December 2023 |
Maite Zubieta Aranbarri[a] (born 28 May 2004) is a Spanish footballer who plays as a midfielder or central defender for Athletic Club.
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]
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]
She has also been selected for the unofficial Basque Country women's national football team which plays only occasionally, making her first appearance in December 2022 against Chile.[12]
Spain U19
Spain U20