Laia López de la Morena was born in Madrid on 29 January 2007. She began playing football at the age of seven with Atlético Chopera in Alcobendas, before joining Madrid CFF when she was eleven.
She progressed through the club’s youth ranks and made her debut for the reserve team in 2022, while still only 15. That same summer, she signed for Real Madrid.
López began with the youth team before moving up to Real Madrid B. She won the league with both sides and helped the reserve team earn promotion to Primera Federación, before gradually becoming involved with the first-team squad.
Her Liga F debut came on 11 May 2025, when she started against Costa Adeje Tenerife at the Alfredo Di Stéfano. The match ended 1-1. A week later, she played another full 90 minutes against Valencia.
On 17 June 2026, Real Madrid announced that López would become part of the first-team squad for the 2026/27 season and had extended her contract until 30 June 2030.
“This is the club of my life. When I was little, I used to buy the men’s shirts,” she said after her promotion was confirmed.
A champion at two age groups
López has also progressed through Spain’s youth national teams.
She was part of the Under-17 squad that finished as European runners-up in 2023. A year later, now established as the starting goalkeeper, she won the title after Spain beat England 4-0 in the final.
She also played at the 2024 Under-17 World Cup in the Dominican Republic. Spain again reached the final, but lost to North Korea on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
The next step came with the Under-19s. At the 2025 European Championship, López played four matches without conceding a single goal. Spain defeated France 4-0 in the final to claim a fourth consecutive title in the competition.
This summer, she is once again Spain’s starting goalkeeper at the Women’s Under-19 EURO in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Spain face Sweden in Tuesday’s semi-final, two matches away from extending a run that began in 2022.
Agility and composure on the ball
Real Madrid highlight López’s reflexes, agility and ability to contribute in the build-up. She has developed in teams that want to play out from the back and require their goalkeeper to be involved beyond simply making saves.
She has also produced strong moments in one-on-one situations. Against Austria in the final group-stage match of this tournament, she prevented an equaliser by denying Denise Lueger when the forward went through on goal.
Standing at 1.78 metres, López still has limited Liga F experience, but she reaches the first team after completing the full pathway through Real Madrid’s academy and spending several seasons as a regular starter for Spain’s youth sides.
Before beginning her first full season with the senior squad, Laia López has a European semi-final ahead of her and the chance to end her formative years with another title.