Ainize Barea

Ainize Barea Nuñez (born 25 January 1992), often known as Peke Barea, is a Spanish former footballer who played as a forward for Athletic Club until her retirement on 15 September 2025.

Club career Barea started her career at CD Ugao (based in Ugao-Miraballes in southern Biscay). Due to the fact that there were two other footballers with the forename Ainize at the club, Barea was given the nickname 'Peke', a reference to the fact that she was only 153cm tall.

After playing in the regional Basque League with Ugao for eight years, she transferred to Santa Teresa, who were playing in the Primera División, the top tier of Spanish football. She would go on to score 84 goals in 106 games for the club.

She remained with Deportivo until July 2021, at which point, she transferred to Athletic Club. In October 2023, it was announced that Barea was pregnant with her first child; she went on maternity leave in March 2024, giving birth in September of that year and returning to the squad in April 2025. As the first active player at the club to be an expectant mother, she observed that information, processes and facilities relating to pregnancy were limited. She did not play in the match.

Personal life Until the age of 12, Barea played both football and Basque pelota. Barea remarked that her family were supportive of her career in sports. In 2019, Barea took part in a strike with the aim of improving the salaries paid to women's footballers in Spain. She is a professional footballer as she derives her entire income from the sport.