Estefanía Banini

Midfielder • Age 36 • #10

Estefanía Romina Banini Ruiz is an Argentine footballer who plays as a midfielder. She has represented Argentina at senior international level.

Fun Facts about Estefanía

Discover more than stats. Get more of who she is.

First 10 years of her career, she played on boys’ teams

In her youth she also played futsal

Rexona made limited edition of their products with Banini

She has a dog

She previously played a classic number 10 position, but since her arrival at Atlético she has featured on the wing, for club and country

She is often referred to as the female equivalent of male football star Lionel Messi. But personally she’s no fan of her ‘Messi’ nickname, though. "I’d like people to start to know us by our names and to stop the comparisons; not just for me, but for everyone in women's football,” she said

In 2020, she was named to the IFFHS Women's Team of the 2011-2020 Decade of South America. She was the only Argentine on the list

She represented Argentine on two World Cups - 2019 and 2023. In 2019, she was team captain

Banini stated that World Cup in 2023 will be her last one. And she really ended her international career after the tournament. Next World Cup will be held in 2027, when she will be 37 - and as she claimed, she will not make it as an active player

During her career so far, she played in four different countries. In her native Argentine, then Chile, USA (which was her dream to play there) and Spain