Bárbara Klarissa Olivieri Dávila is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder and forward for NWSL club Houston Dash. Born and raised in the United States to Venezuelan parents, she plays for the Venezuela women's national team.
She was born and raised in Katy, Texas, United States to Venezuelan parents.
She was a multi-sport athlete growing up but started playing soccer at just three years old.
She fell in love with professional women’s soccer after attending a Houston Dash game in 2014.
She scored the game-winning goal in her senior national team debut against India in 2021.
Following her sophomore season and a stunning international debut, Olivieri left the college game to pursue a professional career.
Bárbara made the decision to go professional in Mexico extremely quickly, with the opportunity presenting itself in just a week due to a visa issue with another player.
She has competed at multiple South American youth championships, representing Venezuela at U-17 and U-20 levels.
At 15, she played for both her club (Albion Hurricanes FC) and her high school team (Tompkins High School).
During her freshman year, she led her high school team with 18 goals and helped them reach the Texas state final for the first time.
She attended training camps with both the U.S. U-15 and U-16 national teams before being called up to Venezuela’s U-17 team.
She idolized Brazilian soccer star Marta and learned a lot by watching her play.
Her dream is to play professionally in Europe, compete in a World Cup, and be nominated as the best player in the world.
She encourages young girls to believe in themselves, ignore negativity, and never give up on their dreams.
Her favorite color is purple.
She likes to play golf to relax away from soccer.
She always felt Venezuelan before fully understanding culture and identity.
She believes her creativity and competitiveness on the field come from her Venezuelan roots.
She wants to inspire other Venezuelan and Latin American girls to pursue their dreams in soccer.
She takes pride in representing Venezuela in a sport where few Venezuelan women have gone professional.
She shared a mantra that speaks to her work ethic: "The hardest thing to do is work hard when no one is watching."
When asked rapid-fire questions, Bárbara quickly chose Messi over Ronaldo, Midfielder over Forward, and Waffles over pancakes.
| Year | Club | AP | GL |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2023
-
present
|
Houston Dash | 37 | 6 |
|
2022
-
2023
|
CF Monterrey | 19 | 3 |
|
2020
-
2021
|
Texas A&M Aggies | 26 | 13 |
| International Stats | |||
|
2020
-
present
|
Venezuela | 7 | 1 |
|
2018
-
|
Venezuela U17 | 2 | 0 |
