Jessica Ziu

Jessica Maria Ziu (born 6 June 2002) is an Irish footballer who plays as a midfielder for West Ham United and has appeared for the Republic of Ireland women's national team.

Jessica Ziu
Personal information
Full name Jessica Maria Ziu
Date of birth (2002-06-06) 6 June 2002
Place of birth Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Height 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 West Ham United
Number 16
Youth career
Rivermount Boys
Shelbourne
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2022 Shelbourne
2022– West Ham United 3 (0)
International career‡
2017–2019 Republic of Ireland U-17 16 (4)
2019– Republic of Ireland U-19 3 (1)
2018– Republic of Ireland 12 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:21, 5 November 2022 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 6 September 2022

Club career

Ziu was born on 6 June 2002 and is from Dublin, Ireland. Her father moved to Ireland from Albania in 1998.[1] She began playing soccer at five years old, and joined Rivermount Boys and girls in Finglas where she was the only girl in the team.[1][2]

After starting the 2018 season with Shelbourne's youth team for the new Under 17 Women's National League, Ziu was quickly promoted to the club's senior panel. She made her Women's National League debut shortly after turning 16 years old in June 2018.[3]

She enjoyed good form in the 2020 Women's National League, being named WNL Player of the Month for October 2020[4] and named in the Team of the Season.[5] In 2021 she helped Shelbourne win the WNL title and played in the 3–1 2021 FAI Women's Cup Final defeat by Wexford Youths. In March 2022 Ziu agreed a summer transfer to English FA Women's Super League club West Ham United.[6]

In October 2022 Ziu suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in a 2022–23 FA Women's League Cup fixture against London City Lionesses.[7]

International career

Youth

Ziu represented Ireland at schoolgirl level while she attended Larkin Community College, Dublin City.[8] At the FAI International Football Awards she was named 2018 Under-16 Women's International Player of the Year.[9]

Senior

Ireland's senior national team coach Colin Bell called up Ziu for the first time in August 2018, for a home FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying fixture against Northern Ireland.[10] "She's still very young. She's just turned 16, but needs to be in this environment," he said.[11] She won her first cap in Ireland's 4–0 win, entering play as a 75th-minute substitute for Rianna Jarrett.[12]

On 9 October 2018, she played in Ireland's 4–0 friendly defeat by Poland in Ostróda, coming on for Jarrett on 53 minutes.[13] She won a third senior cap in a 1–0 friendly defeat by Belgium, at San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain in January 2019.[14]

International appearances
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps
Republic of Ireland 2018 2
2019 1
2021 2
2022 7
Total12

References
  1. Pollak, Sorcha (7 August 2017). "'New Irish' busy making their sporting mark". The Irish Times. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  2. McKenna, Kevin (6 October 2008). "Beautiful game is alive and thriving in Finglas". The Herald (Ireland). Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  3. Mulreaney, Gerard (28 February 2019). "Jessica Ziu aiming high in 2019 for both club and country". The League of Ireland. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  4. "Ziu collects Barretstown / WNL Player of the Month for October". FAI Women’s National League. 5 November 2020. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  5. Duffy, Emma (20 December 2020). "Peamount stalwart and Wexford teenage sensation win big at end-of-season awards". The42.ie. TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  6. "Shelbourne star Jess Ziu agrees move to West Ham". RTÉ Sport. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  7. Galvin, TJ (10 October 2022). "West Ham confirm Ireland's Jess Ziu has injured her ACL". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  8. "Jessica Ziu". FAI Schools. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  9. Malone, Emmet (17 March 2019). "Shane Duffy named Republic of Ireland Player of the Year". The Irish Times. Irish Times Trust. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  10. Bailey, Ryan (24 August 2018). "16-year-old Shels striker in line for international debut in Ireland's final World Cup qualifier". The42.ie. TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  11. Fennessy, Paul (28 August 2018). "'She's just turned 16, but needs to be in this environment'". The42.ie. TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  12. "Ireland WNT: Kiernan stars in emphatic Northern Ireland win". Football Association of Ireland. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2021. Colin Bell handed a senior international debut to Shelbourne Ladies striker Jessica Ziu in the second-half. The 16-year old replaced Wexford Youths striker Jarrett as preparations begin for next year's UEFA 2021 European Championships qualifying campaign.
  13. "Ireland WNT: Four second-half goals ensure Poland defeat". FAI.ie. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  14. "Ireland WNT: Young side succumb to Belgian defeat". Football Association of Ireland. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
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