Ainize Barea

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Barea and the second or maternal family name is Nuñez.

Peke Barea
Personal information
Full name Ainize Barea Nuñez
Date of birth (1992-01-25) 25 January 1992[1]
Place of birth Arrigorriaga, Spain[2]
Height 1.53 m (5 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Athletic Club
Number 22
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2015 Ugao
2015–2017 Santa Teresa 29 (7)
2017–2021 Deportivo La Coruña 80+ (54+)
2021– Athletic Club 59 (9)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 25 July 2025

Ainize Barea Nuñez (born 25 January 1992), often known as Peke Barea, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a forward for Athletic Club.

Club career

Barea started her career at CD Ugao (based in Ugao-Miraballes in southern Biscay).[3] Due to the fact that there were two other footballers with the forename Ainize at the club, Barea was given the nickname 'Peke', a reference to the fact that she was only 153cm tall.

After playing in the regional Basque League with Ugao for eight years, she transferred to Santa Teresa, who were playing in the Primera División, the top tier of Spanish football.[4] Her two seasons at Badajoz-based Santa Teresa were affected negatively by a knee injury and she joined Deportivo La Coruña afterwards, signing a contract with them on 14 June 2017.[5][6][7] She would go on to score 84 goals in 106 games for the club.[8]

She remained with Deportivo until July 2021, at which point, she transferred to Athletic Club.[9] In October 2023, it was announced that Barea was pregnant with her first child; she went on maternity leave in March 2024,[10] giving birth in September of that year[11] and returning to the squad in April 2025.[12] As the first active player at the club to be an expectant mother, she observed that information, processes and facilities relating to pregnancy were limited.[12]

International career

Barea earned her first call up for the Spain national team in a UEFA Euro 2022 qualifying match against Moldova in September 2020.[13] She did not play in the match.[14]

Personal life

Until the age of 12, Barea played both football and Basque pelota.[4] Barea remarked that her family were supportive of her career in sports.[5] In 2019, Barea took part in a strike with the aim of improving the salaries paid to women's footballers in Spain. She is a professional footballer as she derives her entire income from the sport.[15]

References

  1. ^ Ainize Barea at Soccerway. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Peke". BDFutbol. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Peke". Txapeldunak. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  4. ^ a b Menayo, David (1 February 2016). "Ainize Barea, de pelotari a futbolista de Primera" [Ainize Barea, from pelota player to First Division footballer]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  5. ^ a b Jiménez, Mayca (10 October 2019). "Peke: "En el Depor he vuelto a disfrutar del fútbol"" [Peke: "At Depor I've enjoyed football again."]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Ainize Barea, 'Peke': "Al Athletic siempre lo he tenido ahí, pero en el Dépor apuestan por mí"" [Ainize Barea, 'Peke': "I've always had Athletic there, but Deportivo are betting on me"]. Deia (in Spanish). 1 October 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  7. ^ "Peke, segundo fichaje del Deportivo Abanca" [Peke, second signing for Deportivo Abanca] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  8. ^ "El Athletic ficha a Ainize Barea 'Peke', goleadora del Deportivo" [Athletic signs Ainize Barea 'Peke', Deportivo's top scorer] (in Spanish). Naiz. 15 July 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  9. ^ Zaballa, Carlos (27 July 2021). "Peke: "Si no coges este tren, se puede pasar de largo"" [Peke: "If you don't take this train, it might pass you by."]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  10. ^ Aimara Gil (27 March 2024). "Peke, otra futbolista que da el paso de ser madre" [Peke, another footballer who takes the step of becoming a mother]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  11. ^ Silvia Osorio (27 March 2024). "La jugadora del Athletic Peke da la bienvenida a su primer hijo" [Athletic player Peke welcomes her first child]. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  12. ^ a b Sara Gallego (25 April 2025). "Peke: «Falta mucha información, en los clubes deberían existir áreas de maternidad»" [Peke: "There's a lot of information missing; clubs should have maternity areas."]. La Opinión A Coruña]] (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  13. ^ "España quiere dar en Moldavia un paso hacia la Eurocopa". El Correo (in Spanish). 18 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  14. ^ "Goleada escandalosa de España dedicada a Virginia Torrecilla". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 19 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  15. ^ Heredia, Sergio (24 October 2019). ""¿La huelga de las futbolistas? Hay que pensar en el futuro"" ["The women's football strike? We need to think about the future."]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 September 2021.
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