Mikel Oyarzabal Ugarte (born 21 April 1997) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Real Sociedad, which he captains, and the Spain national team.
He has spent his entire professional career with Real Sociedad, making more than 400 appearances and scoring over 130 goals. He won the 2019–20 and the 2025–26 Copa del Rey with the club, scoring in both finals.
Oyarzabal made his full debut for the Spain national team in 2016, representing the side at the 2026 World Cup and two European Championships, winning the 2026 World Cup and Euro 2024 and scoring the decisive goal in the latter final.
Club career Born in Eibar, Gipuzkoa, Oyarzabal joined Real Sociedad's youth setup in 2011, aged 14. While still a junior, he made his senior debut with the reserves on 15 November 2014, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 3–2 away win against Amorebieta in the Segunda División B.
On 20 September 2015, Oyarzabal scored his first senior goals, scoring twice in a 5–0 away rout of Mensajero. He made his first-team and La Liga debut on 25 October, replacing Carlos Vela in the dying minutes of a 4–0 victory at Levante.
Oyarzabal scored his first goal for Real Sociedad on 8 February 2016 in a 5–0 away win over Espanyol. Six days later, shortly after having extended his contract until 2021, he scored two goals to help defeat Granada 3–0 at the Anoeta Stadium.
On 19 August 2016, Oyarzabal again renewed his contract until 2022. He featured in all 38 league matches over the season, as the San Sebastián-based team came sixth and returned to the UEFA Europa League after a two-year absence.
Oyarzabal made his European debut on 19 October 2017, scoring in a 6–0 thrashing of Macedonia's Vardar in the Europa League group stage; his team made it to the last 32, with him scoring an own goal in a 4–3 aggregate loss to Red Bull Salzburg. On the domestic front he scored 12 goals, including two in a 5–0 win against Girona on 8 April 2018.
On 5 October 2018, Oyarzabal scored his first goals since May of that year, converting two penalties in a 3–1 away victory over Athletic Bilbao in the Basque derby. The opposition had tried to sign him in the previous summer transfer window, but he had rejected their approach in favour of signing a new contract with Real Sociedad to run until 2024. He set a new personal best that campaign, netting 13 times.
In the 2019–20 Copa del Rey, Oyarzabal scored a penalty in each leg of a 3–1 aggregate defeat of Mirandés as his team reached the final for the first time since 1988. On 10 July that year, he achieved his 50th goal for the club in a 3–2 home loss against Granada, and on 3 October he scored a penalty in his 200th match in a 3–0 win over Getafe.
On 3 April 2021, Oyarzabal scored the only goal of the delayed 2020 Copa del Rey final, also through a penalty, to help Real Sociedad beat Athletic Bilbao and clinch their first trophy in 34 years. In March 2022, he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee during a training session, potentially ruling him out for the rest of that year. He returned on 31 December as a late substitute in a 2–0 home win over Osasuna, and two weeks later scored his first goal since his recovery to conclude a 3–1 victory against Athletic at the same venue; it was his sixth goal (four from the spot) in 14 games against the rivals.
In February 2023, Oyarzabal extended his contract until 2028, retaining the buyout clause of €75 million. He became captain in June, when Asier Illarramendi left.
Oyarzabal scored his 100th goal for Real Sociedad on 1 December 2024, through a penalty in the 2–0 home win against Real Betis. He made his 400th appearance the following 30 August, in a 1–0 loss at Real Oviedo.
On 4 March 2026, Oyarzabal scored a late penalty to help Real to reach another Spanish cup final after beating Athletic Bilbao 2–0 on aggregate. In the decisive match, on 18 April, he repeated the feat in the 45th minute of an eventual penalty shootout victory over Atlético Madrid; it was his sixth career final, and he found the net in all of them while being on the winning side on four occasions.
Oyarzabal scored his 100th top-division goal on 9 May 2026, from a penalty kick in a 2–2 draw with Betis. He finished the season with a career-high 15.
International career Spain
Oyarzabal represented Spain at under-18, under-19 and under-21 levels. On 17 May 2016, aged 19, he was called up to the senior squad for a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Twelve days later, he replaced Nolito (who had scored) at the hour mark of the 3–1 win.
On 10 June 2019, Oyarzabal scored his first goal, in a 3–0 victory over Sweden in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers. In May 2021, he was included in Luis Enrique's 24-man squad for the finals. As a late substitute, he scored the last goal of a 5–3 extra-time win against Croatia in the last 16. In the following round, he scored the last attempt of a penalty shootout defeat of Switzerland (1–1 after 120 minutes).
Oyarzabal was selected for the Olympic squad to compete in Tokyo in 2021. He scored three times for the runners-up, including once in the 2–1 final loss to Brazil. In the 2021 UEFA Nations League final against France on 10 October, he scored the opening goal of the match, but Spain ultimately suffered a 2–1 defeat.
After being absent from the national team at the time of the 2022 FIFA World Cup due to his serious knee injury, Oyarzabal made a provisional list for Euro 2024 on 27 May. He scored his first international hat-trick on 5 June, in a 5–0 friendly win over Andorra prior to the tournament. In the finals in Germany, he played all seven games for the champions, starting once. On 14 July, he scored in the 86th minute in the final to secure a 2–1 victory against England.
Oyarzabal was called by Spain for the 2026 World Cup. On 15 June, in their opener against Cape Verde, he became the first player on record (since 1966) to fail to touch the ball in the first 30 minutes of a World Cup match. In the following fixture, however, he scored twice and also provided an assist for Lamine Yamal in the 4–0 win over Saudi Arabia. In the round of 32, he achieved another brace in the 3–0 defeat of Austria. In the semi-final, he opened the 2–0 victory against France with a penalty after Yamal was fouled by Lucas Digne; the goal was his fifth of the tournament, equaling the record for the most by a Spanish player in a single edition previously achieved by Emilio Butragueño and David Villa. He also scored his 30th international goal for Spain, becoming the sixth-highest in the nation's history.
Basque Country Oyarzabal featured for the non-affiliated Basque Country national team, scoring on his debut to cap a 3–1 win over Tunisia at the San Mamés Stadium on 30 December 2016.
Personal life Oyarzabal combined his early professional career with studying for a business degree at the University of Deusto. He started a relationship with Ainhoa Larrauri in 2015, with their son being born in December 2023.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueCopa del ReyEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsReal Sociedad B2014–15Segunda División B50———502015–16Segunda División B83———83Total133———133Real Sociedad2015–16La Liga22620——2462016–17La Liga38252——4342017–18La Liga35122062—43142018–19La Liga371341——41142019–20La Liga371083——45132020–21La Liga331121701143132021–22La Liga2295363—33152022–23La Liga2343020—2842023–24La Liga3394372—44142024–25La Liga35964125—53182025–26La Liga341563——40182026–27La Liga7000100080Total3561004720411211445133Career total3691034720411211458136
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsSpain2016102017002018002019622020422021102202200202351202415620251092026139Total6431
Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Oyarzabal goal. + List of international goals scored by Mikel OyarzabalNo.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 10 June 2019 Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain 2 3–0 3–0 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying2 18 November 2019 Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid, Spain 7 5–0 5–0 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying3 10 October 2020 Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium, Madrid, Spain 8 1–0 1–0 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A4 17 November 2020 Estadio de La Cartuja, Seville, Spain 11 6–0 6–0 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A5 28 June 2021 Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark 17 5–3 5–3 UEFA Euro 20206 10 October 2021 San Siro, Milan, Italy 21 1–0 1–2 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals7 16 November 2023 Alphamega Stadium, Limassol, Cyprus 26 2–0 3–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying85 June 2024 Estadio Nuevo Vivero, Badajoz, Spain 29 2–0 5–0 Friendly93–0104–011 8 June 2024 Estadi Mallorca Son Moix, Palma de Mallorca, Spain 30 5–1 5–1 Friendly12 14 July 2024 Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany 37 2–1 2–1 UEFA Euro 202413 15 November 2024 Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark 41 1–0 2–1 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A1423 March 2025 Mestalla Stadium, Valencia, Spain 43 1–0 3–3 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A152–116 8 June 2025 Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany 45 2–1 2–2 2025 UEFA Nations League Finals17 4 September 2025 Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria 46 1–0 3–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification18 11 October 2025 Estadio Martínez Valero, Elche, Spain 48 2–0 2–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification19 14 October 2025 José Zorrilla Stadium, Valladolid, Spain 49 4–0 4–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification2015 November 2025 Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi, Georgia 50 1–0 4–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification214–022 18 November 2025 Estadio de La Cartuja, Seville, Spain 51 2–2 2–2 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification2327 March 2026 Estadio de la Cerámica, Villarreal, Spain 52 1–0 3–0 Friendly242–025 8 June 2026 Estadio Cuauhtémoc, Puebla, Mexico 53 1–0 3–1 Friendly2621 June 2026 Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, United States 55 2–0 4–0 2026 FIFA World Cup273–0282 July 2026 SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, United States 57 1–0 3–0 2026 FIFA World Cup293–030 14 July 2026 AT&T Stadium, Arlington, United States 60 1–0 2–0 2026 FIFA World Cup31 26 September 2026 Wembley Stadium, London, England 62 3–2 3–2 2026–27 UEFA Nations League A
Honours Real Sociedad Copa del Rey: 2019–20, 2025–26
Spain U21 UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2019; runner-up: 2017
Spain U23 Summer Olympics silver medal: 2020
Spain FIFA World Cup: 2026 UEFA European Championship: 2024 UEFA Nations League runner-up: 2020–21, 2024–25
Individual La Liga Team of the Season: 2025–26 La Liga Player of the Month: October 2020 La Liga Play of the Month: March 2024 (with Mikel Merino)
References
External links