Damaris Egurrola

Damaris Berta Egurrola Wienke (born 26 August 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for French Division 1 Feminine club Olympique Lyonnais. At club level, she made her debut with Athletic Bilbao in 2015 and departed in 2020.

Born in the United States, Egurrola made her senior debut for the Spain national team in 2019.

Club Career

Early life

Egurrola spent her early childhood in Orlando, Florida, the second of three children born to a Dutch mother and a Spanish-Basque father (Pablo Egurrola Osa, a professional pelotari competing in American Jai Alai leagues); when he retired in 2006, the family emigrated to his homeland in eastern Biscay in Spain's Basque Country. Damaris became a polyglot, speaking Spanish, English, Basque and Dutch to a high standard.

Athletic Bilbao

After playing youth football at clubs in the Gernika area, Egurrola – who also showed a talent for tennis – signed for Athletic Bilbao in 2012, aged 12, meeting the club's selective signing criteria due to her local upbringing. Following three years at affiliated lower-division clubs, including Betiko Neskak in Erandio and the Athletic B-team, she made her senior team debut in December 2015, making six appearances in the 2015–16 Primera Division as Athletic finished as champions, and became a regular from then on. Along with teammate and friend Maite Oroz, she decided to leave the club when her contract expired in summer 2020. In July 2020, a court case regarding the legality of 'compensation lists' for players in Spanish women's football confirmed that a new employer would not have to pay a fee to Athletic Bilbao.

Everton

After announcing leaving Athletic Bilbao at the end of her contract, Damaris Egurrola drew interest from major European clubs, amongst those, Everton FC, which ultimately signed the midfielder on a 2-year deal early September. Egurrola made her debut in FA WSL 3 October, in a 6-0 win ove