Leila Ouahabi Explained

Leila Ouahabi
Full Name:Leila Ouahabi El Ouahabi
Birth Date:1993 3, df=y
Birth Place:Mataró, Spain
Height:1.72 m
Position:Left-back
Currentclub:Manchester City
Clubnumber:15
Youthclubs1:Vilassar de Mar
Youthyears2:2007–2009
Youthclubs2:Barcelona
Years1:2009–2011
Clubs1:Barcelona B
Years2:2011–2013
Clubs2:Barcelona
Caps2:21
Goals2:2
Years3:2013–2016
Clubs3:Valencia
Caps3:85
Goals3:3
Years4:2016–2022
Clubs4:Barcelona
Caps4:86
Goals4:1
Years5:2022–
Clubs5:Manchester City
Caps5:33
Goals5:1
Club-Update:04:40, 19 May 2024 (UTC)
Nationalyears1:2010–2012
Nationalteam1:Spain under-19
Nationalcaps1:11
Nationalgoals1:1
Nationalyears2:2016–
Nationalteam2:Spain
Nationalcaps2:49
Nationalgoals2:1
Nationalyears3:2014–
Nationalteam3:Catalonia
Nationalcaps3:3
Nationalgoals3:0
Nationalteam-Update:19:12, 31 January 2023 (UTC)

Leila Ouahabi El Ouahabi (born 22 March 1993) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Women's Super League club Manchester City and the Catalonia national team. She has also played for Spain.

Born in Catalonia, Ouahabi played youth football with Barcelona before being elevated to become a first team player for the 2011–12 season. She left Barcelona to join Valencia in 2013, before returning to the club in 2016. She had won numerous accolades with Barcelona, which includes the UEFA Women's Champions League, Primera División, and Copa de la Reina. She left Barcelona to join Manchester City in the summer of 2022.

A full international since 2016, Ouahabi had represented the Spain national team in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup and the UEFA Women's Euro 2022.

Early life

Ouahabi was born in Mataró, Catalonia to a family of Moroccan origin.[1] Growing up, she would play futsal with her brother and at one point joined a futsal team of eleven other boys.[2] The first club she joined was a girl's youth team of the club UE Vilassar de Mar.[3]

Club career

Barcelona

Ouahabi was thirteen when she joined Barcelona's youth teams in 2007.[4] After five years of elevating through the ranks of La Masia, she became a first-team player for the 2011–12 season. This season saw Barcelona achieve their first ever league title win. Ouahabi was frustrated with a lack of playing time after playing a second year in the Spanish Primera División with Barcelona.

Valencia

She joined Valencia in 2013,[5] where she remained until 2016.

Return to Barcelona

In the summer of 2016, Ouahabi re-signed with Barcelona from Valencia.[6]

She won three Primera División titles, five Copa de la Reina titles, two Supercopa de España titles and the UEFA Women's Champions League in her second spell at Barcelona, including the continental treble of Primera División, Copa de la Reina and Champions League in 2021.[7]

Manchester City

Ouahabi joined Manchester City from Barcelona in 2022 on a two-year deal.[8] She made her club debut in a UEFA Women's Champions League tie against FC Tomiris Turan on 19 August 2022, [9] and her goal debut in the first minute of a 5-0 victory against West Ham United, on 21 April 2024.[10]

International career

Ouahabi has played for Spain's U19 national team.[11]

Ouahabi earned her first senior national team callup in February 2016 under newly appointed Spain coach Jorge Vilda.[12] A month later, Ouahabi made her senior international debut for Spain on 4 March 2016, starting a 0–0 friendly draw with Romania in Mogoșoaia.[13]

In February 2017, Ouahabi was called up to the Spain squad for the 2017 Algarve Cup, her first call-up for a senior national team tournament.[14] Her first international goal turned out to be the winning goal in the 2017 Algarve Cup final against Canada.

At the 2019 Women's World Cup Ouahabi started one group stage match, a 0–0 draw against China. The draw was enough to get them past the group stages for the first time in Spain's history where they would then face the United States in the Round of 16. Ouahabi started that Round of 16 match, where Spain had a convincing performance but lost 1–2 against the eventual tournament winners. She ended the tournament having played 180 minutes.[15]

She was one of Las 15, a group of players who made themselves unavailable for international selection in September 2022 due to their dissatisfaction with head coach Jorge Vilda, and among the dozen who were not involved 11 months later as Spain won the World Cup.[16] [17]

Career statistics

Club

[18]

Club! rowspan="2"
SeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Barcelona2010–11Primera División201030
2011–12Primera División13100131
2012–13Primera División610061
Total21210222
València2013–14Primera División29020310
2014–15Primera División26230292
2015–16Primera División30120321
Total85370923
Barcelona2016–17Primera División2103071311
2017–18Primera División60003090
2018–19Primera División2103060300
2019–20Primera División140305020240
2020–21Primera División221308010341
2021–22Primera División251409120402
Total1092160382501684
Manchester City2022–23Women's Super League160204020240
2023–24Women's Super League1713030231
Total331507020471
Career total2487290704025032910

International

[19]

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Spain201620
2017121
201810
2019110
202010
202140
2022180
Total491

Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ouahabi goal.

Honours

Barcelona

Spain

2017

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Irigoyen . Juan I. . Leila: "En Marruecos igual no jugaría al fútbol" . 16 May 2021 . El País . 29 March 2017 . Madrid . es.
  2. Web site: Soria . Miki . Leila Ouahabi Una de les nostres . esportiumaresme.cat . 3 April 2019 . Esportiu Maresme . 24 January 2020.
  3. Web site: Paniagua . Raúl . Leila Ouahabi: "Estamos abriendo los ojos a mucha gente" . elperiodico.com . . 21 March 2019 . 24 January 2020.
  4. News: Irigoyen . Juan I. . Leila: "En Marruecos igual no jugaría al fútbol" . . 29 March 2017 . 23 January 2020.
  5. Web site: Profile at Valencia Féminas website. . 26 February 2016 . 21 February 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160221214238/http://www.valenciacf.com/ver/43555/.html/ . dead .
  6. Web site: Who has joined and left FC Barcelona this summer . fcbarcelona.com . . 1 September 2016 . 24 January 2020.
  7. Web site: The Treble is ours!. FC Barcelona. 31 May 2021. 19 June 2022.
  8. Web site: CITY SEAL LEILA OUAHABI DEAL. John. Edwards. www.mancity.com. 8 June 2022. 19 June 2022.
  9. Web site: 2022-08-18 . Manchester City 6-0 Tomiris-Turan: Player ratings as City progress in Champions League . 2023-01-31 . 90min.com . en-GB.
  10. Web site: Cox . Sam . 21 Apr 2024 . Record 13th successive WSL win moves City back to league's summit . 4 May 2024 . mancity.com.
  11. Web site: Fernandez-Delgado . Ignacio . Un equipo para sentirse orgulloso/a . diariodemestalla.com . Diario de Mestalla . 27 November 2013 . 24 January 2020.
  12. Web site: Menayo . David . Jorge Vilda continúa la revolución . marca.com . . 22 February 2016 . 24 January 2020.
  13. News: 4 newcomers to the Spanish squad . 30 August 2016 . . 5 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160911085205/http://www.sefutbol.com/en/4-newcomers-spanish-squad . 11 September 2016 . dead .
  14. Web site: Menayo . David . Jorge Vilda ya tiene a sus 23 elegidas para disputar la Copa Algarve . marca.com . . 20 February 2017 . 23 January 2020.
  15. Web site: FIFA Women's World Cup France 2019™ - Players - Leila OUAHABI - Leila Ouahabi . https://web.archive.org/web/20190608143017/https://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/players/player/420281/ . dead . 8 June 2019 . fifa.com . . 23 January 2020.
  16. https://www.forbes.com/sites/asifburhan/2023/06/12/jorge-vilda-recalls-players-who-resigned-back-into-his-spanish-world-cup-squad/ Jorge Vilda Recalls Players Who Resigned Back Into His Spanish World Cup Squad
  17. https://www.thesportsman.com/articles/spain-v-sweden-las-15-3-an-international-team-in-chaos-and-lonely-jorge-vilda Spain v Sweden: Las 15+3, An International Team In Chaos And Lonely Jorge Vilda
  18. Web site: Spain - Leila Ouahabi - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway .
  19. Web site: Spain - Leila Ouahabi - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway .
  20. Web site: Spain vs. Canada - 8 March 2017 - Soccerway . 2023-02-28 . int.soccerway.com.
  21. News: Chelsea 0-4 Barcelona: Barça surge to first Women's Champions League title. UEFA.com . 16 May 2021 . 16 May 2021.