| Eli Ibarra | |
| Full Name: | Elisabeth Ibarra Rabancho[1] |
| Birth Date: | 1981 6, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Azkoitia, Basque Country, Spain[2] |
| Height: | 1.59 m |
| Position: | Left midfielder, left wing-back |
| Years1: | 1995–2002 |
| Clubs1: | Eibartarrak FT |
| Years2: | 2002–2017 |
| Clubs2: | Athletic Bilbao |
| Caps2: | 367 |
| Goals2: | 104 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2002–2015 |
| Nationalteam1: | Spain |
| Nationalcaps1: | 44 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 2 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2006–2014 |
| Nationalteam2: | Basque Country |
| Nationalcaps2: | 4 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
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 Primera División club Athletic Bilbao from 2002 to 2017.[3] She made 44 appearances for the Spain national team, scoring two goals.[3] [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]
Ibarra started playing football at the age of 13.[5] She played for Eibartarrak FT (now SD Eibar) for seven seasons, from 1995 to 2002, before joining the newly-founded women's team of Athletic Bilbao in the summer of 2002, ahead of the 2002–03 Superliga Femenina season.[6] [3] When she first arrived at the club, she chose the number 17 shirt, in homage to former Athletic footballer Joseba Etxeberria.[7] 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.[7]
Ibarra scored in Athletic's first two appearances in the UEFA Women's Cup. In December 2012, she played her 300th match for Athletic.[6] 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]
Ibarra was a member of the Spain 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]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Estadio Municipal de La Albuera, Segovia, Spain | 3–0 | 9–0 | 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification | [14] | ||
| 2 | 7–0 |
Athletic Bilbao