ORLANDO, Fla. (Jan. 16, 2023) — The Orlando Pride and defender Celia Jiménez Delgado have agreed to a new two-year contract, signing the player through the 2024 NWSL season, it was announced today. Celia re-signs with the Pride after joining the Club via trade prior to the 2022 season.
“Celia is a dynamic and technical player that provides us with both a defensive presence and attacking threat on the right side. With her international experience, she has a veteran impact both on and off the field, and is a great part of creating our positive locker room culture,” Head Coach Seb Hines said. “She is intelligent when she defends and takes her opportunities when she gets forward, which is all you can ask for from a defender. We are excited she will return to the Pride, where she can continue to grow as a player and a leader in this organization.”
“I’m excited for this 2023 season to begin. Our team has the talent and the grit to be within the top teams,” Celia said. “I’m looking forward to building a solid winning culture and enjoying the unity of the team.”
Celia is coming off a productive 2022 season for the Pride backline, appearing in 18 games and making 17 starts during the regular season. She found the back of the net twice for the Pride during the regular season, both of which came while the Pride were away from home. Her first was scored in a 2-2 draw at Kansas City after she beat her defender to the spot and headed the ball past the goalkeeper. The latter came in a 2-1 win against NJ/NY Gotham, putting the Pride up 1-0 just minutes into the second half.
The 27-year-old has 55 appearances across all competitions in the NWSL, with 22 of them coming while representing the Pride. Celia was originally selected with the 36th-overall pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft by the Seattle Reign and has also spent spells at Sweden’s FC Rosengård, Australia’s Perth Glory and France’s Olympique Lyon.
The Spanish international has appeared 23 times for the Spanish National Team and was selected to Spain’s 2015 and 2019 World Cup rosters. In the 2015 World Cup, Celia started all three of the nation’s matches, in which she was the youngest player on the roster. She was also a part of the Spain team that won the 2018 Cyprus Women’s Cup.
