Elisabeth "Eli" Ibarra Rabancho (born 29 June 1981) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a midfielder or defender. She played club football for Eibartarrak FT from 1995 to 2002 and for Superliga/Primera División club Athletic Bilbao from 2002 to 2017.[3] She made 44 appearances for the Spain national team, scoring two goals.[3][1]
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Elisabeth Ibarra Rabancho[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 29 June 1981[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Azkoitia, Basque Country, Spain[2] | ||
| Height | 1.59 m (5 ft 3 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Left midfielder, Left wing-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–2002 | Eibartarrak FT | ||
| 2002–2017 | Athletic Bilbao | 367 | (104) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2002–2015 | Spain | 44 | (2) |
| 2006–2014 | Basque Country | 4 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 May 2017 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:29, 18 June 2015 (UTC)[1] | |||
Ibarra held the record for most appearances for the women's first-team of Athletic Bilbao (413)[3] until overtaken by former teammate Erika Vázquez in 2022.[4] Her 111 goals across all competitions made her their third-highest goalscorer of all time.[3] She is also the only player to have taken part in all five league championships that the club has won.[3]
Club career
editIbarra started playing football at the age of 13.[5] She played for Eibartarrak FT (now SD Eibar) for seven seasons, from 1995 to 2002,[6] before joining the newly-founded women's team of Athletic Bilbao in the summer of 2002, ahead of the 2002–03 Superliga Femenina season.[7][3] When she first arrived at the club, she chose the number 17 shirt, in homage to former Athletic footballer Joseba Etxeberria.[6] She made her debut in a 7–1 win over Torrejón at the Lezama Facilities, in what was the first ever match played by Athletic's women's team.[6]
Ibarra scored in Athletic's first two appearances in the UEFA Women's Cup. In December 2012, she played her 300th match for Athletic.[7] In 2016, she won her fifth league title with Athletic and agreed to remain with the club for another year.[8]
In May 2017, at the age of 35, she announced her retirement from football.[9][10] She made a total of 413 appearances for Athletic Bilbao – 367 in the league, 32 in the Copa de la Reina, and 14 in the Champions League.[3] She is the club's third highest goalscorer of all-time, behind Erika Vázquez and Nekane Díez, with 111 goals; of those, 104 came in the league, five in the Copa de la Reina, and two in the Champions League.[10][3]
International career
editIbarra was a member of the Spanish national team,[11] where she was deployed by Ignacio Quereda as a left wing-back.[12] She was part of Spain's squads for UEFA Women's Euro 2013 in Sweden[13] and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada.[1]
Career statistics
editInternational goals
edit| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 June 2010 | Estadio Municipal de La Albuera, Segovia, Spain |  Malta | 3–0 | 9–0 | 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification | [14] |
| 2 | 7–0 |
Honours
editClub
edit- Athletic Bilbao
References
editExternal links
edit- Elisabeth Ibarra – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Elisabeth Ibarra – UEFA competition record (archive)
- Profile at Athletic Bilbao
- Elisabeth Ibarra at Soccerway