Jone Ibáñez signs for another season

Athletic Club and Jone Ibáñez (22-07-1997) have reached an agreement and her contract has been extended until June 2021. This is the sixth season the player from Galdakao will be playing as a lioness. Last October, Jone suffered an injury on her left kneecap that forced her to undergo surgery. Totalling only 250 minutes on the pitch this season, she is expected to be one of the club’s reinforcements for the next one.

Jone arrived at Lezama from Galdakao in the 2012-2013 season, playing in the reserve team before making her debut in the fist team in April 2015. The match was held in Paterna and the Red and Whites came out winners by 0-2. She clinched the league title the following year when playing for both the reserve and the first sides. In 2018-2019, her most regular year, she appeared in 25 league fixtures and a Cup match. She had managed to get a place in Ángel Villacampa’s eleven just before suffering an injure against Real Betis at Lezama.

“I want to feel like a footballer again”

Jone is distinguished for being a solid marking midfielder, hard-working and highly competitive. She has appeared in a total of 62 matches and scored two goals with the first team. The lioness is optimistic about their chances next season: “I’m really looking forward to getting back to training with the whole group, it’s been difficult to do it this year because of my injury. I’ll do my best to earn as many minutes as possible. I’ll keep on working because I want to feel like a footballer on the pitch again”.

In the last recovery stage after her kneecap surgery, Jone confessed that she had “handled it well and always tried to be positive. It’s been a different year in every aspect, since the lockdown wasn’t easy for anyone. It has also affected my schedule, but I’m working to be back as soon as I can. I can’t wait to join my teammates in training.”