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

Club career

Ziu was born on 6 June 2002 and is from Dublin, Ireland. Her father moved to Ireland from Albania in 1998. 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. 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. She enjoyed good form in the 2020 Women's National League, being named WNL Player of the Month for October 2020 and named in the Team of the Season. In

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

she helped Shelbourne win the WNL title and played in the 3–1 2021 FAI Women's Cup Final defeat by

Wexford Youths Wexford Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Crossabeg, County Wexford. They compete in the League of Ireland First Division. The club joined the league after being awarded a First Division licence for the 2007 League ...

. In March 2022 Ziu agreed a summer transfer to English FA Women's Super League club West Ham United. She made her league debut against Everton on 18 September 2022. In October 2022 Ziu suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in a 2022–23 FA Women's League Cup fixture against London City Lionesses.

International career

Youth

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

Senior

Ireland's senior national team Coach (sports), coach Colin Bell (footballer, born 1961), Colin Bell called up Ziu for the first time in August 2018, for a home 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 3, FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying fixture against Northern Ireland women's national football team, Northern Ireland. "She's still very young. She's just turned 16, but needs to be in this environment," he said. She won her first Cap (sports), cap in Ireland's 4–0 win, entering play as a 75th-minute Substitute (association football), substitute for Rianna Jarrett. On 9 October 2018, she played in Ireland's 4–0 Exhibition match, friendly defeat by Poland women's national football team, Poland in Ostróda, coming on for Jarrett on 53 minutes. She won a third senior cap in a 1–0 friendly defeat by Belgium women's national football team, Belgium, at San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain in January 2019.

Career statistics

Club

International

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ziu, Jessica 2002 births Living people Republic of Ireland women's association footballers Republic of Ireland women's international footballers Women's association football forwards Shelbourne F.C. (women) players Irish people of Albanian descent Rivermount Boys F.C. players Association footballers from Dublin (city) Republic of Ireland women's youth international footballers Republic of Ireland expatriate women's association footballers West Ham United F.C. Women players Women's Super League players Expatriate women's footballers in England Irish expatriate sportspeople in England Women's National League (Ireland) players