María Pérez Rabaza

Club career Youth career Pérez began playing with the local Sant Fost UE team, staying for six seasons before moving to the Espanyol-affiliated CF Penya Blanc i Blava La Roca for three. She then spent two years with the specialist youth team CF Damm; Her coach at Damm, Juli García, first moved her to the 'number 6' role, needing someone to play in defensive midfield and having Pérez adapt. She first played in the Primera División with first team FC Barcelona Femení on 22 June 2021, just in time to see the team collect a continental treble. She got her first start with the first team in November 2022, playing all 90 minutes.

Having appeared for both Barcelona and the B team in the 2022–23 league season, Pérez won both leagues (the Primera División and Primera Federación respectively) on the same day, 30 April 2023, both with matches to spare. She also won the Supercopa de España and UEFA Women's Champions League with the first team in 2022–23; she had spent most of the season training with the first team, and when her B team contract expired in June 2023 she renewed with a permanent first team contract.

With both Pérez and Barcelona wanting her to have more top-flight playing experience, she was sent on a closed one-year loan to Sevilla ahead of the 2023–24 season. The same loan move had previously been completed by Barcelona teammates Clàudia Pina and Cata Coll, with success.

London City Lionesses On 14 June 2024, Pérez signed with London City Lionesses on a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee. On 10 June 2026, It was announced that Pérez had signed a new contract until the summer of 2028. Having made 10 WSL appearances for London City in 2025–26, the Lionesses inaugural season in the top tier of the Women's Super League. The Spanish midfielder said: "I'm so happy to be extending my contract. I feel settled at the club, in the country and the league and it was an easy decision."

International career Pérez represented Spain at under-19 and under-23 before being called up to the senior team in November 2022 at the age of 20, Pérez's call-up was considered surprising, given her relative inexperience, and seen as manager Jorge Vilda calling on younger players to avoid having to acknowledge the fifteen players who had withdrawn from selection. Pérez made her senior international debut as a substitute against Japan on 15 November 2022. before being outright named to the squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in June 2023. On selecting Pérez for the World Cup, Vilda said that she is the player most similar to Sergio Busquets that was available to him; he was impressed with her quality in training camps and she was given her first international start for the pre-tournament friendly against Panama.

At the World Cup, Pérez made one appearance, as the first substitute (replacing Teresa Abelleira) in Spain's 5–1 knock-out victory against Switzerland on 5 August 2023, the first time Spain had ever won a knock-out match in a tournament. after Spain defeated England 1–0 in the final to win the World Cup, having said after the Switzerland match that she wanted to face Walsh at the tournament.

Style of play Diario AS has highlighted Pérez's possession and close control of the ball as strong, with good movement and an ability to read the game.

International