Bibiane Schulze

Bibiane Gabrielle "Bibi" Schulze Solano (born 12 November 1998) is a German professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Spanish Liga F club Athletic Bilbao and the Germany national team. Born and raised in Germany, she is of Basque heritage on her mother's side and was called up for the Spain national squad in 2023.

Club career
Schulze joined the youth system of 1.FFC Frankfurt from FV 08 Neuenhain and progressed through the ranks to play seven times in the Frauen-Bundesliga for the club. She departed for Athletic Bilbao in July 2019.

The move proved controversial, as some Athletic supporters questioned whether Schulze was sufficiently connected to the Basque Country to conform to the club's signing policy. Club president Aitor Elizegi rejected the complaints, attesting to Schulze's "clear Basque origin" (in addition to the family typically spending summer holidays in the region, her great-grandfather Francisco Belauste played for the club in its early years).

In her first two seasons in Spanish football Schulze was predominantly restricted to appearances for the Athletic B team, although she made one Primera División appearance as a substitute against Sevilla in October 2020. In July 2021, Schulze signed a season-long loan deal with Athletic's Primera División rivals Valencia CF. With regular central defenders Garazi Murua and Naroa Uriarte absent through injury, Schulze became an important member of the Athletic side in the first half of the 2022–23 season.

International career
Overlooked for the Germany selection at the 2015 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship in Iceland, Schulze made a late, unsuccessful approach through her Frankfurt team-mate Verónica Boquete to represent Spain at the event. Due to her form for Athletic, she was called up for the Spanish squad in February 2023 – but had to withdraw a day later due to injury. In 2024, she made her debut for the German national team.