Laia Ballesté
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Laia Ballesté Sciora | ||
| Date of birth | 22 February 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | L'Ampolla, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Espanyol | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2014–2016 | Tortosa-Ebre | ||
| 2016–2017 | Joventut Almassora | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2019 | Valencia B | ||
| 2019–2020 | Alavés | 18 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Logroño | 19 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | Rayo Vallecano | 28 | (1) |
| 2022–2024 | Sporting Huelva | 50 | (5) |
| 2024– | Espanyol | 24 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2025– | Switzerland | 1 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 April 2025 | |||
Laia Ballesté Sciora (born 22 February 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Liga F club Espanyol. Born in Spain, she also holds Swiss citizenship and represents Switzerland at international level.[1]
Club career
After playing with Valencia's B team and spending a season with Alavés, Ballesté signed for EdF Logroño in 2020, her first experience in Spain's top division.[2] She made her debut in the Copa de la Reina in the delayed semi-final of the 2019–20 edition, playing all 120 minutes as the club defeated Athletic Bilbao to reach the final.[3] Logroño were defeated 3–0 by FC Barcelona in the final. She made 19 appearances and scored one goal as the club were relegated at the end of the season.
On 23 August 2021, Ballesté signed for Rayo Vallecano.[4]
International career
Born in Spain, Ballesté is of Swiss descent through her mother. She prefers to play for the Switzerland national team.[1] On 30 June 2025, Ballesté was named to Switzerland's squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2025 as a late replacement for the injured Luana Bühler.[5]
References
- ^ a b "Laia Ballesté: "No comprendo que Mapi León no esté en un Mundial"". 17 July 2023.
- ^ "Spain - Laia Ballesté - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Soccerway. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
- ^ Arroyo Torres, Matías (7 October 2020). "El EDF Logroño culmina la gesta y estará en la final de Copa de la Reina" [EDF Logroño completes the feat and will be in the final of the Copa de la Reina]. Grada3.COM (in Spanish). Grada 3. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
- ^ Algueró, Enric (23 August 2021). "Laia Ballesté firma por el Rayo Vallecano" [Laia Ballesté signs for Rayo Vallecano]. Diari de Tarragona (in European Spanish). Diari de Tarragona. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
- ^ "Frauen-Nationalteam: Luana Bühler fällt für das Heim-Turnier aus" [Women's national team: Luana Bühler is out for the home tournament] (in German). Swiss Football Association. 30 June 2025.
External links
- National team profile at Football.ch (in German)
- Laia at BDFutbol
- Profile at Txapeldunak