Stephanie Zambra facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Stephanie Zambra

Zambra with Republic of Ireland in 2015
Personal information
Date of birth	(1989-06-13) 13 June 1989 (age 36)
Place of birth	Dublin, Ireland
Height	183cm
Playing position	Forward
Club information
Current club	Shamrock Rovers
Number	10
Youth career
	Valeview Shankill FC
	Cabinteely Girls
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2002–2007	Stella Maris
2007–2009	Dundalk City
2009–2011	Raheny United
2011–2014	Peamount United	71
2014	ASPTT Albi	10	(1)
2015	Houston Dash	2	(0)
2015–2018	Sunderland Ladies	26	(2)
2018–2020	C.F. Florentia	10	(0)
2020–2022	Peamount United
2022–2024	Shamrock Rovers Women
National team‡
2008–2022	Republic of Ireland	58	(14)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12 July 2020 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 6 September 2022

Stephanie Zambra (born 13 June 1989), whose maiden name was Roche, is an Irish retired footballer. She played as a striker for Shamrock Rovers in Dublin and for the Republic of Ireland women's national football team.

In October 2013, she scored a famous goal for Peamount United in the Women's National League (WNL). This goal was so amazing that it was chosen as a runner-up for the 2014 FIFA Puskás Award. This award is given for the best goal scored in the world each year.

Stephanie played for many clubs in Ireland, including a very successful time at Peamount United from 2011 to 2014. She also played for a short time with Division 1 Féminine team ASPTT Albi in France in 2014. In 2015, she joined National Women's Soccer League club Houston Dash in the United States. She then spent a longer period at FA WSL club Sunderland from 2015 to 2018. This time was affected by injuries and illness. After that, she played for a year in Italy with Florentia in 2018 and 2019. She returned to Peamount United in February 2020. In December 2022, she joined the new Shamrock Rovers women's team for the 2023 season.

Stephanie Zambra earned her first senior international appearance, called a cap, in October 2008. She has played over 50 games for the Republic of Ireland national team. She was out of the game for almost two years after breaking her leg during a World Cup qualification campaign. However, she was called back to the team in August 2019.

In February 2020, Stephanie shared that her famous goal brought her many great chances. But she also said that much of her football career after that was affected by bad luck, like injuries. She has also worked as a television expert for RTÉ. She helped cover big football events like the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup tournaments, and UEFA Euro 2020.

Early Life and Football Beginnings

Stephanie Zambra started playing football with boys on the streets of her hometown, Shankill. She briefly played for Valeview Shankill FC. However, rules against mixed-gender teams meant she had to leave. After that, she joined Cabinteely Girls.

She then moved on to play for Stella Maris. There, she formed a strong attacking team with Áine O'Gorman in the club's Under-18 team. In 2008, Stephanie received a scholarship from the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to study at Sallynoggin College. She was also part of an Irish Colleges team that played two friendly matches in Scotland in April 2009.

Club Career Highlights

Starting Her Club Journey

In June 2007, Stephanie joined Dundalk City. She had an amazing first game, scoring two goals in a 5–2 win against Benfica. Later, she moved to Raheny United. In February 2011, she even tried out for the English FA WSL club Doncaster Rovers Belles. She played in a friendly match where her team won 4–0 against Blackburn Rovers.

Success with Peamount United

In the first ever Women's National League season (2011–12), Stephanie was the top scorer, winning the Golden Boot. She scored 26 goals for the champions, Peamount United. She and Sara Lawlor, who was named Player of the Year, formed a very powerful attacking duo. Stephanie also scored the winning goal in the WNL Cup final, helping her team win two trophies that season.

In August 2011, Stephanie played for Peamount United in the 2011–12 UEFA Women's Champions League. After her team was knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain Féminine, she turned down an offer to transfer to FC Vendenheim. She became the league's top scorer again in the 2013–14 Women's National League season, taking the Golden Boot back from her teammate Lawlor.

The Famous FIFA Puskás Award Goal

In October 2013, Stephanie scored an incredible goal for Peamount against Wexford Youths. This goal became very popular online, going viral on YouTube, and brought her international attention. It was her first goal of that WNL season. Her team manager, Eileen Gleeson, uploaded it to the internet because the matches were not shown on TV. Stephanie was happy it was recorded: "It's just good for us now to get that on camera. It gives the Women's National League a bit of publicity, as well as girls' football in Ireland, and I'm happy to be a part of that."

Later that year, her goal was chosen as one of the best for the 2014 FIFA Puskás Award. She was the only female player nominated. After a public vote, Stephanie's goal was one of the three finalists. The other two finalists were James Rodríguez and Robin van Persie, who had scored their nominated goals at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Stephanie was the first female player to reach the final three for this award. At the 2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or awards ceremony on January 12, 2015, Stephanie finished in second place for the FIFA Puskás Award, with 33% of the votes. James Rodríguez won the award.

Playing in France: ASPTT Albi

In June 2014, Stephanie signed with newly promoted Division 1 Féminine team ASPTT Albi in France. She found it hard to settle in France. She scored one goal in ten games before leaving the club, especially after all the attention from the FIFA Puskás Award. The Albi manager, David Welferinger, said her leaving was connected to her sudden fame. Stephanie later explained that she felt frustrated because of communication problems and other issues.

Time in the USA: Houston Dash

On February 18, 2015, Stephanie signed with the Houston Dash in the USA. The Dash coach, Randy Waldrum, praised Stephanie, calling her "possibly the best goalscorer to come out of Ireland since Olivia O'Toole". However, Stephanie only played in two short substitute appearances in the National Women's Soccer League. The Houston Dash released her on May 20, 2015. Stephanie was "shocked and disappointed" to be let go just three months into her one-year contract. She understood that the coach needed to change the team's defense and had to make space for new players.

Playing in England: Sunderland

Stephanie signed a two-year deal with FA WSL club Sunderland A.F.C. Ladies on June 17, 2015. During the 2016 FA WSL season, she had fewer appearances because of illness. She developed a throat infection that needed surgery. She also broke her leg while playing for Ireland in September 2017. Sunderland released her from her contract in Summer 2018. At Sunderland, Stephanie often played in a different position, as a wing-back, which she did not enjoy.

Experience in Italy: Florentia

In November 2018, Stephanie moved to the Italian Serie A club C.F. Florentia. An ankle injury slowed her down at the start. She only started one of her four games in the rest of the 2018–19 Serie A season. For the 2019–20 season, the club moved to a new city. Stephanie had a promising pre-season, scoring eight goals. However, she didn't score in seven official league and cup games.

She became unhappy with some parts of her time at the club and decided to leave after one year. She explained that things didn't go as she wanted, and she realized it wasn't the right place for her.

Return to Peamount United

In February 2020, Stephanie rejoined Peamount United. She wanted to be closer to her friends and family by returning to the Women's National League. She also wanted to plan for her life after football and win back her spot on the national team. When the 2020 Women's National League season finally started, she faced challenges like a cracked rib and a calf injury. She also missed a UEFA Women's Champions League game due to health rules.

However, a good run of games at the end of the season saw Stephanie return to her best form. She scored two goals and was named Player of the Match in Peamount's 6–0 win over Cork City in the 2020 FAI Women's Cup Final.

Stephanie's appearance on the TV show Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week affected her preparation for the 2021 Women's National League season. Even though she scored nine goals in 26 games, tiredness and minor injuries kept her from being at her best. Peamount lost their league title to Shelbourne on the last day. Despite this, Peamount manager James O'Callaghan was happy when Stephanie agreed to stay for the 2022 Women's National League season. She had turned down offers from other clubs. Stephanie started the new season in great form, scoring four goals in five games and being named WNL Player of the Month for March 2022. She finished the season with 16 goals.

Joining Shamrock Rovers

On December 8, 2022, it was announced that Stephanie would join the newly reformed Shamrock Rovers women's team for the 2023 season. She joined other former Peamount players like Áine O'Gorman at the Tallaght club. Stephanie had a busy schedule because she also agreed to take part in Dancing with the Stars while training with her new team. She also announced that she would play football under her married name, Stephanie Zambra, starting from the 2023 season.

Retirement from Football

Stephanie Zambra announced that she was retiring from professional football on October 10, 2024.

International Career for Ireland

Youth Teams

Stephanie Zambra played for the Republic of Ireland at youth levels. She said, "I just missed out in the final trials for Ireland under 15s and I was really heartbroken. But then I made the team at under 17s." In August 2005, she scored the winning goal in her first game for the under 19 team. This secured a 3–2 win over Finland. Over three seasons with the under-19 team, Stephanie was a regular player and the team's top goal scorer.

Senior National Team

Stephanie's first game for the senior national team was in October 2008. It was a 3–0 loss to Iceland in a UEFA Women's Euro 2009 qualifying play-off. She came on as a substitute for the last five minutes of the match. In September 2009, Stephanie scored her first senior goal. It was a late winning goal in a 2–1 World Cup qualifying win against Kazakhstan. In the next month's game against Kazakhstan, Stephanie started her first game for the Irish senior team and scored again.

National coach Susan Ronan did not select Stephanie for a friendly game in June 2013 and later World Cup qualifiers. This made Stephanie disappointed but determined to win her place back. After Stephanie started scoring many goals for her club, Ronan called her back to the national team in October 2013.

On April 5, 2014, in a 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifier against Germany, Stephanie scored to make the game 2–2 in the 89th minute. But Ireland still lost 3–2. In another qualifier, Stephanie scored a goal in injury time to give Ireland a 1–0 victory over Slovakia on September 13, 2014.

Stephanie continued to be chosen by Sue Ronan for Ireland's UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qualifying Group 2 games. In June 2016, Stephanie scored three goals, a hat-trick, in Ireland's 9–0 win over Montenegro. This meant she had scored four goals in four days, as she had also scored Ireland's only goal in a 4–1 loss to Finland. When Ronan decided to leave as national team coach, Stephanie scored a "stunning 25-yard free-kick" in her last game, a 2–1 win over the Basque Country.

Under the next coach, Colin Bell, Stephanie kept her place in the national team. She scored in Bell's first game in charge, a 2–0 win over the Czech Republic at the 2017 Cyprus Cup on March 1, 2017. The next month, Stephanie was part of a group of 13 players who worked to get much better working conditions for Ireland's female national team players. This happened after a long disagreement with the Football Association of Ireland. She then scored the only goal from a penalty kick as Ireland beat Slovakia in a friendly match.

In Ireland's first 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifier, a 2–0 win over Northern Ireland, Stephanie broke her tibia (shin bone). She returned to training in January 2018 but felt knee pain. Later scans found another fracture and damage to her knee cartilage. In February 2019, Stephanie was annoyed by a newspaper report that wrongly said she had retired from international football.

Ireland's temporary manager Tom O'Connor called Stephanie back to the team after almost two years. This was for the first UEFA Women's Euro 2022 qualifier against Montenegro on September 3, 2019. Stephanie came on as a late substitute in Ireland's 1–1 draw in Greece. She was later left out by the new head coach, Vera Pauw. However, when Heather Payne got injured, Stephanie was called up as her replacement for a game in Montenegro.

After an injury to Kyra Carusa, Pauw called Stephanie back in June 2022 for a friendly game and a World Cup qualifier. Stephanie had continued to attend training sessions even when she wasn't on the national team. Coach Pauw praised her for her dedication. In Ireland's 1–0 win over the Philippines, Stephanie started her first national team game since 2017.

International Appearances and Goals

International Goals Scored

Scores and results list Republic of Ireland's goals first. Score column indicates score after each Zambra goal. Updated as of 16 May 2023.

International goals scored by Stephanie Zambra

No.	Cap	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	4	24 September 2009	Turners Cross, Cork	Kazakhstan	2-1	2-1	2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Qual.
2	5	29 October 2009	Zhetysu Stadium, Taldykorgan	Kazakhstan	1-1	2-1
3	6	25 February 2010	Richmond Park, Dublin	France	1-1	1-2	Friendly
4	28	10 March 2014	Tasos Markou, Paralimni	Switzerland	2-1	2-1	2014 Cyprus Women's Cup
5	29	5 April 2014	Tallaght Stadium, Dublin	Germany	2-2	2-3	2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Qual.
6	34	13 September 2014	NTC Senec, Senec	Slovakia	1-0	1-0
7	38	11 March 2015	Valbruna, Rovinj	Costa Rica	1-0	2-1	2015 Istria Cup
8	45	7 April 2016	Stadion pod Malim brdom, Petrovac	Montenegro	5-0	5-0	2017 UEFA Women's Championship Qual.
9	47	3 June 2016	Tehtaan kenttä, Valkeakoski	Finland	1-3	1-4
10	48	7 June 2016	Tallaght Stadium, Dublin	Montenegro	3-0	9-0
11					7-0
12					8-0
13	51	1 March 2017	Tasos Markou, Paralimni	Czech Republic	2-0	2-0	2017 Cyprus Women's Cup
14	55	10 April 2017	Tallaght Stadium, Dublin	Slovenia	1-0	1-0	Friendly

Personal Life

Stephanie Zambra has been in a relationship with fellow footballer Dean Zambra for many years. They got married in June 2022. Stephanie is a big fan of the football club Manchester United.

Awards and Achievements

Player Honours

Peamount United

• Women's National League: 2011–12, 2020
• FAI Women's Cup: 2020

Individual Awards

• FIFA Puskás Award (2nd place) 2014
• FAI Women's National League Top Goalscorer: 2011–12, 2013–14

See also

In Spanish: Stephanie Roche para niños