Mikel Oyarzabal has built a career that is easy to see on the pitch and almost invisible off it. The Real Sociedad captain keeps his private life tightly guarded, even as he remains one of the key figures in Spain’s national team.
His name is already tied to one of the biggest moments in recent Spanish football, thanks to the goal he scored in the Euro 2024 final against England. But the details that surround his life away from football tell a different story, shaped by long-term loyalty, family and a low public profile.
The partner he has kept out of the spotlight
Oyarzabal’s relationship with Ainhoa Larrauri goes back to his teenage years. According to www.abc.es, the two have shared their lives for years, and the footballer has only rarely shown anything from that relationship on social media.
One of the few public signs came in a post on Instagram in May 2015, when Oyarzabal congratulated his partner on her 18th birthday. Ainhoa keeps an even lower profile, with a private Instagram account and just over 600 followers.
Their son Martín and a very private family life
The couple became parents to Martín, who was born at the beginning of December 2023. Their family life has remained discreet, with almost no public exposure beyond the occasional football-related mention.
Real Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil acknowledged the situation when Martín was born, saying: «Felicitar a Mikel y Ainhoa porque tenemos un nuevo realista en la familia. Han sido dos noches largas para Mikel y no está en condiciones de competir».
Studies, business and life beyond football
Oyarzabal also stood out early for combining elite football with university studies. He graduated in Business Administration and Management in 2019 from the University of Deusto.
Former teammate Markel Bergara described him to Relevo as a humble player who was still studying and living with two friends in Donosti. In a 2019 interview with Jugones La Sexta, Oyarzabal said he had wanted to start a degree before fully focusing on football.
He also explained how those years were organized around shared routines at home, with his friends helping him take notes when he could not attend class. Oyarzabal added that they all liked cooking and that the house was well kept.
Beyond education, his name appears in the commercial registry as an attorney-in-fact linked to two companies based in Éibar, his hometown. Those firms are mainly dedicated to managing holdings in other businesses.
From swimming and judo to football
Football was not Oyarzabal’s first sport. As a child, he also practiced swimming, and his father Ernesto said he tried judo as well, following a discipline that had long been part of the family.
Ernesto told Marca that judo taught values such as education, respect and discipline before football became the main focus. Oyarzabal moved fully into football at the age of 11, after also earning a medal in a local competition during Éibar’s patron saint festivities.
He arrived at Zubieta when he was 15, but his football path began earlier at SD Eibar before moving on to Real Sociedad. His family remains central to that story, and after Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph he posed with his parents and his sister Elene.
