Maite Zubieta

Maite Zubieta
Personal information
Full name	Maite Zubieta Aranbarri
Date of birth	28 May 2004 (age 20)
Place of birth	Busturia, Spain
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder; Central defender;
Team information
Current team	Athletic Club
Number	16
Youth career
2018–2019	Athletic Club
Senior career*
Years	Team
2019–2020	Athletic Club C
2020–2023	Athletic Club B
2022–	Athletic Club
International career‡
2019	Spain U17
2020	Spain U16
2021–2023	Spain U19
2022–	Spain U20
2022–	Basque Country
Medal record
Women's football
Representing Spain
FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17 May 2024; ‡ 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.

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]

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.^[12]

Honours

Spain U19

UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship: 2022,^[13] 2023^[14]

Spain U20

FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup: 2022^[15]

References

^ In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Zubieta and the second or maternal family name is Aranbarri.

^ Maite Zubieta at Soccerway. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
^ "Zubieta". BDFutbol. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
^ "Maite Zubieta, la mejor deportista 2022" [Maite Zubieta, the best athlete 2022]. Deia (in Spanish). 8 January 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
^ ^a ^b "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.
^ Maite Zubieta extends contract until 2025, Athletic Club, 29 May 2023
^ 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.
^ Carlos Zaballa (18 September 2023). "El nuevo Athletic de David Aznar" [David Aznar's new Athletic]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 December 2023.
^ 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.
^ San Mamés tribute for our World U-20 and European U-19 champions, Athletic Bilbao, 3 September 2022
^ Spain retain trophy for fifth Under-19 EURO title, UEFA, 30 July 2023
^ 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.
^ "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.
^ "2022 Women's U19 EURO: Road to the title". UEFA.com. 9 July 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
^ "Spain win 2023 Women's U19 EURO: At a glance". UEFA.com. 30 July 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
^ "Paralluelo propels Spain to revenge and glory". FIFA.com. 28 August 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2023.

External links

[3] In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Zubieta and the second or maternal family name is Aranbarri.

[SW-1] Maite Zubieta at Soccerway. Retrieved 12 December 2023.

[2] "Zubieta". BDFutbol. Retrieved 12 December 2023.

[deia0123-4] "Maite Zubieta, la mejor deportista 2022" [Maite Zubieta, the best athlete 2022]. Deia (in Spanish). 8 January 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.

[eitb23-5] "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.

[6] Maite Zubieta extends contract until 2025, Athletic Club, 29 May 2023

[7] 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.

[8] Carlos Zaballa (18 September 2023). "El nuevo Athletic de David Aznar" [David Aznar's new Athletic]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 December 2023.

[9] 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.

[10] San Mamés tribute for our World U-20 and European U-19 champions, Athletic Bilbao, 3 September 2022

[11] Spain retain trophy for fifth Under-19 EURO title, UEFA, 30 July 2023

[12] 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.

[13] "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.

[14] "2022 Women's U19 EURO: Road to the title". UEFA.com. 9 July 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2023.

[15] "Spain win 2023 Women's U19 EURO: At a glance". UEFA.com. 30 July 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.

[16] "Paralluelo propels Spain to revenge and glory". FIFA.com. 28 August 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2023.

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