Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 29 April 2003 | ||
Place of birth | Muri, Switzerland | ||
Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Roma | ||
Number | 17 | ||
Youth career | |||
2012–2017 | FC Muri | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | ( Gls) |
2017–2020 | Aarau | 27 | (18) |
2020–2022 | Basel | 34 | (13) |
2022–2024 | Zürich | 37 | (11) |
2024– | Roma | 0 | (0) |
International career‡ | |||
2018–2019 | Switzerland U16 | 5 | (1) |
2019–2020 | Switzerland U17 | 6 | (7) |
2021 | Switzerland U19 | 3 | (2) |
2023– | Switzerland | 9 | (3) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:35, 31 October 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14:00, 9 April 2024 (UTC) |
Alayah Pilgrim ( Arabic: عالية بيلكريم; born 29 April 2003) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a forward for Roma and the Switzerland women's national team.
Pilgrim is a youth product of her local club FC Muri. She wasn't allowed to play football as a youngster, and so secretly started playing with Muri until a coach intervened and convinced her family. She played with the boys until the maximum allowable age, as the club did not have a women's section. [1] In 2017 she began her senior career with Aarau in the Ligue Nationale B at the age of 15. [2] In 2020 at the age of 17, she moved to Basel on a 2-year contract. [3]
On 10 October 2022, Pilgrim moved to Zürich, where she played in the UEFA Women's Champions League for the first time. [4] She helped Zürich win the 2022–23 Swiss Women's Super League, scoring in the final - a 3–0 win over Servette FC Chênois Féminin on 2 June 2023. [5]
On 26 January 2024, AS Roma announced the signing of Pilgrim. [6]
Pilgrim was born in Switzerland to a Moroccan father and Swiss mother. [7] She was a youth international for Switzerland, having played up to the Switzerland U19s. In August 2022, she was called up to the Morocco women's national team for the first time. [8] She declined the invitation, as she received it last minute and didn't have time to decide. [7] A couple of months later in October 2022, she was called up to the Switzerland women's national team for the first time, but did not make an appearance. [9]
Just before the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, she opted to formally represent Switzerland internationally. She debuted with them as a substitute in a UEFA Women's Nations League loss to Italy in September 2023. [10]
Pilgrim studied as a health professional and had an internship at the Muri Hospital in the summer of 2021. [11] Outside of football, she also works as an influencer. [11]
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 31 October 2023 | Letzigrund, Zürich, Switzerland | Spain | 1–4 | 1–7 | 2023–24 UEFA Women's Nations |
2. | 23 February 2024 | Marbella Football Center, Marbella, Spain | Poland | 2–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
3. | 9 April 2024 | Dalga Arena, Baku, Azerbaijan | Azerbaijan | 0–3 | 0–4 | UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying |