Laia Ballesté

Spanish footballer (born 1999)

Laia Ballesté
Personal information
Full name	Laia Ballesté Sciora
Date of birth	(1999-02-22) 22 February 1999 (age 25)
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	7	(0)
2022–2024	Sporting Huelva	19	(1)
2024–	Espanyol
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Laia Ballesté Sciora (born 22 February 1999) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Liga F club Espanyol. She also holds Swiss citizenship.^[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]

References

^ ^a ^b "Laia Ballesté: "No comprendo que Mapi León no esté en un Mundial"".
^ "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.