Maite Oroz: “It’s such a big club where I can grow as a player”
Fri 13 September 2024, 22:45|
Tottenham Hotspur
Once the interest from Spurs became clear for Maite Oroz, she revealed it was a simple decision to make after she joined us on Friday evening from Liga F side Real Madrid.
An all-round midfielder, she has enjoyed a hugely successful career in Spain to date, accumulating over 250 appearances in Liga F (Spanish top flight) in spells with Athletic Bilbao and more recently Real Madrid.
Following four seasons at Las Blancas, where she featured 146 times for the club to become second-highest appearance in the team's history, the 26-year-old will now embark on a new country, new league and a new challenge awaits for her at Hotspur Way.
Maite, who penned a deal with the Club until 2028, is hoping to use her experience of competing at the very top to deliver the ambitions of the Club and her own.
“I’m really happy to be here, to play for this great club and to try to give as much as I can to the team,” she told SPURSPLAY after completing her move. “I’m looking forward to getting to know my teammates, the coaching team and to enjoying daily life at this great club alongside them.
I want to bring as much as I can to the team, to help us achieve our goals and I’m sure it’s going to be a beautiful season.
“At the end of the day, I was very clear when this door opened and the opportunity arose, I didn’t need to think twice because it’s such a big club where I can really grow as a player and as a person. I hope to give my very best to bring lots of success to this team and this club.
“I want to bring as much as I can to the team, to help us achieve our goals and I’m sure it’s going to be a beautiful season.”
Having started her career at Osasuna, Maite moved to Athletic Bilbao in the summer of 2014 and, following one successful season in their B-team, she progressed into their first team and went on to feature 116 times in her six-year spell, while also helping them to win their first league title since 2007 in the 2015/16 campaign.
Maite then joined Real Madrid for the 2020/21 season, where she was originally part of the inaugural squad under that name, and became the second-highest appearances holder in the team’s history with 146 games, while featuring regularly in their UEFA Women’s Champions League campaigns.
Now, after 11 professional years in her native country, the Spain international, who has 15 caps to her name, is ready for the challenge in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
The midfielder revealed that she spoke to one of our summer signings about the move to Hotspur Way and how it played a key part in making her decision.
Hayley Raso, who joined us earlier this month, played alongside Maite at Real Madrid last term, with the pair helping them to finish second in the table, and she said that the Australia international could only heap praise in just her short amount of time at the club.
“I spoke with her yesterday and she only had positive things to say about this club, the players and the coaching team. That encouraged me to take this decision, and now I can’t wait to join up with her and my other teammates.”
With the new WSL season just around the corner, where we kick off our 2024/25 campaign at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday 22 September, we asked our new number 10 on what we can expect to see on the pitch.
She answered: “I consider myself to be an all-round footballer with good vision. I like to link the play, I really like to have the ball and, above all, I like to enjoy myself while keeping possession.”
