Irene Paredes

Real Sociedad

Born in Legazpi, Gipuzkoa in the Basque Country, Paredes joined local side Zarautz in 2007. She then moved to Real Sociedad a year later. On 5 October 2008, she made her senior debut against Málaga in a league game.

Athletic Bilbao

After spending three seasons at Real Sociedad, Paredes signed for their local rivals, Athletic Bilbao, in 2011. She was sent off for the first time in her career in their 2–1 loss to Espanyol after extra time in the 2012 Copa de la Reina final, and further disappointment followed in the next two years as Athletic lost a title-deciding league fixture against Barcelona in 2013, then were defeated by the same opposition in the 2014 Copa de la Reina final with Paredes the only player not to score their kick in the penalty shootout. However, in the last of her five seasons there, 2015–16, the club finished as league champions. She also won three Copa Euskal Herria against her former club Real Sociedad in 2011, 2013 and 2015.

Paris Saint-Germain

In 2016, Paredes signed for Paris Saint-Germain. She played her first UEFA Champions League season after joining PSG and reached the final, where her team lost 6–7 on penalties to Lyon. On 31 May 2018, she won her first trophy with the club as PSG defeated Lyon 1–0 in the final of the 2018 Coupe de France Féminine. She was named as captain of PSG before the start of the 2018–19 season. In May 2019, Paredes extended her contract with PSG for two more years, keeping her at…

She played her first minutes for the Spain national team in November 2011 against Romania. In June 2013, national team coach Ignacio Quereda confirmed Paredes as a member of his 23-player squad for the UEFA Euro 2013 finals in Sweden. On 27 October 2013, she scored her first goal for Spain, in a 6–0 home win against Estonia at a 2015 FIFA World Cup qualification match. She was also called up to be part of Spain's squad at the 2015 World Cup in Canada and at the 2019 World Cup in France. On 5 March 2018, she marked her 50th appearance for Spain by opening the scoring with a header in a 2–0 victory against Czech Republic in the last group match of the Cyprus Cup. On 14 February 2022, Paredes was ruled out of the inaugural edition of the Arnold Clark Cup after suffering a muscle tear in her left thigh and was replaced by Sheila García. Paredes was part of the Spain squad called up for the Euro 2022. Paredes was called up to the 23-player Spain squad for the 2023 World Cup. On 6 April 2023, Paredes made her return to the national team in a 4–2 international friendly win against Norway after she had resigned from the national team, along with her captaincy role in October 2022, following disagreements between a few players and the RFEF over unfavourable conditions in the dressing room. On 20 August, she won the World Cup after Spain defeated England 1–0 in the final. On 1 December, she returned from injury to play her 100th match for the national team in a 2–3 defeat against…

She is a ball-playing defender who contributes to the build-up by moving the ball up the field and connecting with attackers. She is also a target inside the opponent's penalty area during free-kicks and corners, where she has scored goals via headers.

Paredes is in a relationship with former Spain hockey player Lucía Ybarra. During her stint at PSG, the couple lived together in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. In April 2021, Paredes and Ybarra announced that they were expecting their first child together. On 13 September, Paredes announced the arrival of their son Mateo, who was born the day before, in an Instagram post. Paredes had already asked coach Jorge Vilda not to summon her to the national squad for 2023 FIFA World Cup qualification due to the forthcoming birth. Ybarra and Mateo accompanied Paredes to the 2023 World Cup tournament in New Zealand and Australia. In February 2026, Paredes and her partner Ybarra welcomed their second child, Lea Paredes Ybarra, whose name was announced via Ybarra's Instagram post a week after the child's birth.