Real Sociedad has a habit of turning local kids into first-team regulars. Jon Karrikaburu was supposed to be one of the next ones. He turned 24 on September 19, 2026, and the question around him has changed. It is no longer about how good he could be. It is about where he finally gets the chance to prove it.
That is a fair question for a striker who once scored at will in the fourth tier, spent the following years moving between loan clubs, and has yet to score in La Liga. It is also why he is more interesting than his modest numbers suggest.
Karrikaburu at a Glance
| Full name | Jon Karrikaburu Jaimerena |
|---|---|
| Born | September 19, 2002, in Elizondo, Navarre, Spain |
| Age | 24 (as of October 2026) |
| Nationality and heritage | Spanish, Basque |
| Height and weight | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in), 82 kg (181 lbs) |
| Position | Centre-forward, right-footed |
| Club | Real Sociedad, shirt number 19 (last confirmed contract) |
| Contract | Until June 30, 2027 |
| Academy | Real Sociedad, joined in 2014 |
| International | Spain U21, 2 caps |
| Market value (estimate) | About €1.5 million to €2.3 million |
| Net worth (Icon Polls estimate) | $2 million to $4 million |
| EA Sports FC 26 rating | 67 OVR |
A note on the club line: this summer brought real transfer talk, covered below. We list Real Sociedad because that is the last contract we can confirm, not because we have ruled out a move.
From the Baztan Valley to Zubieta
Karrikaburu was born in Elizondo, a small town in the Baztan valley, a Basque-speaking corner of Navarre in northern Spain. He is Spanish by nationality and Basque by heritage. He joined Real Sociedad's academy in 2014, at the age of 12. That academy is one of the most respected in Spain, and it does not hand out first-team minutes as favours. Karrikaburu has had to earn every step, which partly explains why his rise has been slow.
The Season That Made People Pay Attention
In 2020/21, playing for Real Sociedad C in the Tercera Division, he scored 22 goals in 20 games. That run included two hat-tricks and a four-goal haul. Across two seasons with the C team, his total reached 32 goals in 38 matches.
Numbers like that in the fourth tier guarantee nothing. Plenty of young strikers feast on part-time defences and then stall. They do earn a promotion, though. In 2021/22 Karrikaburu moved up to Real Sociedad B in the Segunda Division and scored 11 goals in 36 appearances, finishing as the team's top scorer. Against grown professionals, that was the more meaningful number. He also signed his first professional contract with the club in 2021.
Four Loans, One Useful Season
Then came the loan years:
- Leganés, 2022/23
- Alavés, 2023/24
- FC Andorra, 2023/24, where he won the Copa Catalunya
- Racing Santander, 2024/25: 8 goals and 4 assists in 43 LaLiga2 appearances
The Racing spell is the one that matters. Forty-three appearances means a coach trusted him week after week, and 12 goal contributions is solid, if unspectacular, second-tier output. It is the most complete season he has had in senior football. It is also, by several reports, the place he would most like to return to.
Splitting a single season between Alavés and Andorra tells its own story. Rarely is that the sign of a plan going smoothly.
A Trophy, a Calf Injury and Six League Games
2025/26 was a strange year for him. He was part of the Real Sociedad squad that won the Copa del Rey, the first major trophy of his career. He also made six La Liga appearances without scoring, and a calf injury in late 2025 kept him out for several months. Both things are true at once: he owns a winner's medal, and he still does not have a top-flight goal.
Internationally, he earned two caps for Spain's Under-21s during the Euro U21 qualifying cycle. There has been no senior call-up.
Worth Two Million Euros on Paper
Market value estimates put him somewhere between €1.5 million and €2.3 million, depending on the source, with Transfermarkt hovering around €1.8 million to €2 million. For a striker whose best work has come in the second division, that feels about right. It is the price of potential that has not yet been confirmed.
By August 2026, reports suggested Real Sociedad was open to selling. Burgos were said to want him permanently on a long-term deal, Sporting were also linked, and Karrikaburu reportedly preferred going back to Racing Santander. With his contract running to June 30, 2027, the club still held some leverage, though less with each passing month. We have not been able to confirm how the summer ended, so treat the club details on this page as provisional until an official announcement says otherwise.
What His Bank Balance Probably Looks Like
Icon Polls estimates Jon Karrikaburu's net worth at $2 million to $4 million in 2026. That is a rough figure, built from his earnings since his first professional contract in 2021, his loan years and likely bonuses from a cup-winning season. No official figure exists, and players at his level do not publish their finances.
His wage at Real Sociedad has been reported at around £20,000 a week. Treat that with caution. The club does not publish salaries, and the same number appears in Football Manager 2026's database, so it may be an informed estimate rather than a contract detail. If he does move permanently, his pay will depend on the ambitions and budget of the club that buys him.
A 67 in FC 26, and Why Career Mode Players Should Care
In EA Sports FC 26 he is a 67-rated striker at Real Sociedad, with physical stats and finishing that broadly match his real profile: a 1.83 m, 82 kg forward who can lead the line as a target man, sniff around the box as a poacher or run the channels. Nobody is building an Ultimate Team side around a 67. In career mode, though, he fits the classic bargain brief: cheap, young enough to improve and useful as a rotation forward while he does.
Football Manager 2026 tells a similar story and values him at roughly 6 million in its game world, a reminder that game valuations and real ones are not the same thing.
Off the Pitch
Karrikaburu keeps his personal life private. There is no confirmed public information about a wife or partner, and we are not going to fill that gap with guesswork. If he chooses to share anything through his own channels, we will update this page.
He is a long way from any all-time conversation, and he would probably be the first to say so. If you have strong opinions on the forwards he grew up watching, cast your vote for the best footballers of all time.
Still Wondering?
How old is Jon Karrikaburu?
He is 24. He was born on September 19, 2002, in Elizondo, Navarre.
What was his best scoring season?
Statistically, 2020/21 with Real Sociedad C: 22 goals in 20 Tercera Division games. His strongest senior professional season was 2024/25 at Racing Santander, with 8 goals and 4 assists in 43 LaLiga2 appearances.
Has he scored in La Liga?
Not in the six league appearances he made for Real Sociedad in 2025/26, the most recent season we can confirm.
