Quick Facts
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Alayah Pilgrim (Arabic: عالية بيلكريم; born 29 April 2003) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a forward for Roma and the Switzerland women's national team.
Club career
Pilgrim is a youth product of her local club FC Muri. She wasn't allowed to play football as a youngster, and so secretly started playing with Muri until a coach intervened and convinced her family. She played with the boys until the maximum allowable age, as the club did not have a women's section. In 2017 she began her senior career with Aarau in the Ligue Nationale B at the age of 15. In 2020 at the age of 17, she moved to Basel on a 2-year contract.
On 10 October 2022, Pilgrim moved to Zürich, where she played in the UEFA Women's Champions League for the first time. She helped Zürich win the 2022–23 Swiss Women's Super League, scoring in the final - a 3–0 win over Servette FC Chênois Féminin on 2 June 2023.
On 26 January 2024, AS Roma announced the signing of Pilgrim.
International career
Pilgrim was born in Switzerland to a Moroccan father and Swiss mother. She was a youth international for Switzerland, having played up to the Switzerland U19s. In August 2022, she was called up to the Morocco women's national team for the first time. She declined the invitation, as she received it last minute and didn't have time to decide. A couple of months later in October 2022, she was called up to the Switzerland women's national team for the first time, but did not make an appearance.
Just before the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, she opted to formally represent Switzerland internationally. She debuted with them as a substitute in a UEFA Women's Nations League loss to Italy in September 2023.
Honours
- Zürich
- Swiss Women's Super League: 2022–23
- Roma
- Serie A: 2023–24
- Coppa Italia: 2023–24
Personal life
Pilgrim studied as a health professional and had an internship at the Muri Hospital in the summer of 2021. Outside of football, she also works as an influencer.
International goals
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 31 October 2023 | Letzigrund, Zürich, Switzerland |  Spain | 1–4 | 1–7 | 2023–24 UEFA Women's Nations |
| 2. | 23 February 2024 | Marbella Football Center, Marbella, Spain |  Poland | 2–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 3. | 9 April 2024 | Dalga Arena, Baku, Azerbaijan |  Azerbaijan | 0–3 | 0–4 | UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying |
