Esther González
Spanish footballer (born 1992)
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Esther González Rodríguez (born 8 December 1992) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a striker for National Women's Soccer League club Gotham FC and the Spain national team. She previously played for Atlético Málaga, Sporting de Huelva, Atlético de Madrid, and Real Madrid.
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Esther with Gotham FC in 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Esther González Rodríguez | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 8 December 1992 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Huéscar, Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.61 m (5 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Striker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Gotham FC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2007 | CD Huéscar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Algaidas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Levante | 47 | (12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Atlético Málaga | 34 | (12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Sporting de Huelva | 27 | (15) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2019 | Atlético de Madrid | 159 | (80) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Levante | 53 | (29) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Real Madrid | 54 | (30) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Gotham FC | 50 | (25) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spain U19 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016– | Spain | 53 | (36) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 04:39, 23 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 17:47, 9 July 2025 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club career
Real Madrid
González left Real Madrid as its all-time top women's scorer with 39 goals in 77 games.[1]
Gotham FC
On 23 August 2023, National Women's Soccer League club NJ/NY Gotham FC signed Esther to a three-year contract with an option to extend for an additional year.[2] She made her club debut on 2 September, coming on for Sinead Farrelly in a 3–3 draw away to the North Carolina Courage.[3] On her first start, she scored her first and second NWSL goals in a 2–0 home win over the Washington Spirit.[4] On 11 November, she headed in Midge Purce's corner to score the second goal for Gotham in the NWSL Championship Game. It stood as the game winner in a 2–1 victory over OL Reign, giving Gotham its first league championship.[5]
On 24 March 2024, Esther scored in Gotham's first game of the season, a 1–0 victory over the Portland Thorns.[6] On 5 October, she assisted Rose Lavelle and scored two goals of her own against Bay FC within 4 minutes and 20 seconds, marking the fastest three-goal contribution in NWSL history.[7] She finished the regular season with a team-high 9 goals, tied for fourth-most in the league,as Gotham placed third in the standings.[8] In the NWSL semifinals, Esther scored the opening goal in a 1–1 draw against the Washington Spirit; Gotham lost as Esther was one of three players whose penalty attempts were saved by Aubrey Kingsbury.[9]
After starting the season with seven goals in nine games, Esther signed a new contract with Gotham through 2027.[10] On May 25, 2025, she scored in the 82nd minute of the 2025 CONCACAF W Champions Cup final against Tigres, burying the rebound after Itzel González stopped her penalty kick. Gotham won 1–0 to become the inaugural winners of the competition.[11]
On 14 March 2026, Esther scored in Gotham's opening game of the 2026 season, a 1–0 win over Boston Legacy, coming on as a substitute to earn her 25th career NWSL league goal, the 35th player in the league to reach the milestone.[12][13]
International career
Esther González played for the Spain U17 team at the 2009 U-17 European Championship, where Spain was the runner-up to Germany.[14]
Esther made her senior international debut in March 2016, as a substitute in a 0–0 friendly draw with Romania in Mogoșoaia.[15]
She scored five goals in Spain's 13–0 win over Azerbaijan in qualifying for the Euro 2022. She and her team reached the quarter-finals, where Spain lost 2–1 to eventual European champions England in overtime.
In Spain's opening match of the 2023 FIFA World Cup, she scored Spain's third goal in a 3–0 win over Costa Rica. This was the third goal in six minutes for the Spanish and was just their second group stage win at the World Cup.[16]
On 10 June 2025, González was called up to the Spain squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2025.[17] On July 27, 2025, she started in the tournament's final as Spain finished runners up, losing 1-1 (3-1 on penalties) to England.[18]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 24 March 2024
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | Continental[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Levante | 2009–10 | Superliga Femenina | 24 | 4 | 3 | 1 | – | – | 27 | 5 | ||
| 2010–11 | Superliga Femenina | 23 | 8 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 25 | 9 | |||
| Total | 47 | 12 | 5 | 2 | – | – | 52 | 14 | ||||
| Atlético Málaga | 2011–12 | Primera División | 34 | 12 | – | – | – | 34 | 12 | |||
| Sporting de Huelva | 2012–13 | Primera División | 27 | 15 | – | – | – | 27 | 15 | |||
| Atlético Madrid | 2013–14 | Primera División | 25 | 14 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 27 | 14 | ||
| 2014–15 | Primera División | 28 | 12 | 2 | 2 | – | – | 30 | 14 | |||
| 2015–16 | Primera División | 29 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | – | 36 | 21 | ||
| 2016–17 | Primera División | 30 | 15 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 33 | 15 | |||
| 2017–18 | Primera División | 26 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 30 | 8 | ||
| 2018–19 | Primera División | 21 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | – | 27 | 14 | ||
| Total | 220 | 107 | 16 | 5 | 8 | 1 | – | 225 | 113 | |||
| Levante | 2019–20 | Primera División | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 1[c] | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | Primera División | 34 | 29 | 3 | 0 | – | 2[c] | 1 | 39 | 30 | ||
| Total | 53 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 60 | 30 | ||
| Real Madrid | 2021–22 | Primera División | 27 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1[c] | 0 | 39 | 17 |
| 2022–23 | Liga F | 27 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 1[c] | 0 | 38 | 22 | |
| Total | 54 | 30 | 4 | 3 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 77 | 39 | ||
| Gotham FC | 2023 | NWSL | 5 | 2 | – | – | 3[d] | 1 | 8 | 3 | ||
| 2024 | NWSL | 23 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 12 | |
| 2025 | NWSL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 28 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 36 | 15 | ||
| Career total | 402 | 190 | 30 | 10 | 29 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 469 | 211 | ||
- Includes Copa de la Reina, NWSL Challenge Cup
- Includes UEFA Women's Champions League
- Appearances in Supercopa de España
- Appearances in NWSL Playoffs
International
- As of match played 3 July 2025
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2016 | 2 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 8 | 13 | |
| 2022 | 14 | 6 | |
| 2023 | 14 | 7 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 8 | 7 | |
| Total | 53 | 36 | |
- Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each González goal.
Honours
Atlético Madrid
Gotham FC
Spain U17
- UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship runner-up: 2009
Spain
- FIFA Women's World Cup: 2023
- UEFA Women's Championship runner-up: 2025[18]
- UEFA Women's Nations League: 2025
Individual