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Mikel Oyarzabal Ugarte (born 21 April 1997) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left winger or a forward for Real Sociedad and the Spanish national team.
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 SD Amorebieta for the Segunda División B championship.
On 20 September 2015, Oyarzabal scored his first senior goals, scoring twice in a 5–0 away rout of CD Mensajero. He made his first-team and La Liga debut on 25 October, replacing Carlos Vela in the dying minutes of a 4–0 win at Levante UD.
Oyarzabal scored his first goal for Real Sociedad on 8 February 2016 in a 5–0 away win over RCD Espanyol. Six days later, shortly after having extended his contract until 2021, he scored two goals to help defeat Granada CF 3–0 at the Anoeta Stadium.
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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 FK Vardar in Macedonia for 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 FC Red Bull Salzburg; on the domestic front he scored a career-best 12 goals, including two in a 5–0 win over Girona FC on 8 April 2018.
On 5 October 2018, Oyarzabal scored his first goals since May of that year, two penalties in a 3–1 away win over Athletic Bilbao in the Basque derby. Athletic Bilbao had tried to sign him in the summer transfer window, but he had rejected their approach in favour of signing a new contract with Real Sociedad to run until 2024.
In the 2019–20 Copa del Rey, Oyarzabal scored a penalty in each leg of a 3–1 aggregate win over CD Mirandés as his team reached the final for the first time since 1988.
International career
Oyarzabal represented Spain at under-18 and under-19 levels. On 17 May 2016, aged only 19, he was called up to the full squad for an international friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Twelve days later, he replaced goalscorer Nolito at the hour mark of the 3–1 win in Switzerland.
Oyarzabal also featured for the Basque 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.
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 13 July 2020
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Real Sociedad B | 2014–15 | Segunda División B | 5 | 0 | – | – | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | 8 | 3 | – | – | 8 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 13 | 3 | – | – | 13 | 3 | ||||
| Real Sociedad | 2015–16 | La Liga | 22 | 6 | 2 | 0 | – | 24 | 6 | |
| 2016–17 | 38 | 2 | 5 | 2 | – | 43 | 4 | |||
| 2017–18 | 35 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 43 | 14 | ||
| 2018–19 | 37 | 13 | 4 | 1 | – | 41 | 14 | |||
| 2019–20 | 35 | 10 | 7 | 2 | – | 42 | 12 | |||
| Total | 167 | 43 | 20 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 193 | 50 | ||
| Career total | 179 | 46 | 20 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 205 | 53 | ||
International
- As of match played 18 November 2019
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2016 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 6 | 2 | |
| Total | 7 | 2 | |
International goals
- As of 18 November 2019 (Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Oyarzabal goal)
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 June 2019 | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain | 2 |  Sweden | 3–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying |
| 2 | 18 November 2019 | Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain | 7 |  Romania | 5–0 | 5–0 |
Honours
International
Spain U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2019; runner-up 2017
