Luis Ibáñez
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Luis Ezequiel Ibáñez (born 15 July 1988), nicknamed Lucho, is an Argentine professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who plays as a
left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...
for Croatian club
Jarun Jarun () is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of Zagreb, Croatia. It was named after Lake Jarun, formed by the Sava River, now located on the southern edge of the neighborhood. Lake The lake is the location of the Jarun sports and leisure ...
. Ibáñez started his professional career at
Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men's professional Association football, football team which, since its promotion in 1913 ...
in his native Argentina, debuting for the club in 2008. He made only two official appearances in
Argentine Primera División The Primera División (; ), known officially as Liga Profesional de Fútbol, or Torneo Betano for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Argentina and the highest level of the Argentine football league system. Organ ...
, and in the summer transfer window of the 2008–09 season, he joined
Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Cr ...
for a fee of €650,000. His first season at Dinamo Zagreb went well, as he was praised by the Croatian football critics for his performances and work rate on the pitch. He made a total of 119 official appearances for Dinamo Zagreb, scored 13 goals, and also won four domestic trophies, two of which were league titles, and one of
Croatian Cup Croatian Cup may refer to: *Croatian Football Cup *Croatian Football Super Cup *Croatian Women's Football Cup *Croatian Basketball Cup, also known as Krešimir Ćosić Cup *Croatian Handball Cup *Croatian Water Polo Cup The Croatian Water Polo C ...
and Supercup each. After seven years of playing at Dinamo, Ibáñez left the Croatian club and shortly after signed with Hungarian club Győri ETO. After Győri ETO, he also played at
Red Star Belgrade Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...
,
Trabzonspor Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional sports club located in the city of Trabzon, located in Black Sea region, northeastern Turkey. Established in 1967 through the merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor is one of the most prominent A ...
, and was on loan from Trabzonspor to
Kardemir Karabükspor Kardemir Demir Çelik Karabükspor, known simply as Kardemir Karabükspor or Karabükspor, was a Turkish sports club based in Karabük. The team was founded in 1969 after a merger between "Karabük Gençlikspor" and "Demir Çelik Spor". The club ...
. In September 2019, he signed with
Bosnian Premier League The Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina (; ; sr-Cyrl, Премијер лига Босне и Херцеговине), officially known as the Wwin League of Bosnia and Herzegovina for sponsorship purposes, is the top tier football leagu ...
club
Zrinjski Mostar Zrinjski Mostar is a sports association from the city of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was formed in 1905. Member clubs *Football: **HŠK Zrinjski Mostar *Basketball: **HKK Zrinjski Mostar (men's) ** ŽKK Zrinjski Mostar (women's) *H ...
. Ibáñez left Zrinjski in June 2021. He also holds Croatian citizenship and is therefore not considered a foreign player in the EU.


Background

Luis Ezequiel Ibáñez is an Argentine, born on 15 July 1988 in
Moreno, Buenos Aires Moreno is a city in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the head town of Moreno Partido. It forms part of the Greater Buenos Aires urban conurbation and is located around to the west of the autonomous city of Buenos Aires. According to the ...
to Jorge and Alejandra. His parents are divorced and he currently resides with his father in
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
, Croatia. He has three younger sisters, Carla, Camilla and Valentina who along with their mother live in Argentina. Since their mother is currently unemployed, Ibáñez financially supports his family. He is engaged to Mateja Alegić, an economics student and a daughter of the Croatian entrepreneur Darko Alegić. The two have been in a relationship since June 2009 having previously met via online chat. According to the official webpage of
Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Cr ...
, Ibáñez is 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) tall, and weighs 69 kg (152 lbs or 10.9 stone). Besides speaking his native Spanish, Ibáñez is also fluent in Croatian. While in Dinamo Zagreb, he was a translator for South American players who were unable to understand or speak Croatian. He is also known for having a tattooed autograph of a former Argentine football player
Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...
on his shoulder. On 24 December 2010, Ibáñez announced that he had submitted a request to obtain Croatian citizenship which would make him eligible to play for the country's national football team, he had earlier declared himself willing to compete for Croatia instead of
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
at international level.


Club career


Boca Juniors

Ibáñez started playing football professionally for
Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men's professional Association football, football team which, since its promotion in 1913 ...
in
Argentine Primera División The Primera División (; ), known officially as Liga Profesional de Fútbol, or Torneo Betano for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Argentina and the highest level of the Argentine football league system. Organ ...
, making his official debut for the club on 19 April 2008 in a 2–1 win against
Newell's Old Boys Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys () is an Argentine sports club based in Rosario, Santa Fe. The club was founded on 3 November 1903, and is named after Isaac Newell of the English county of Kent, one of the pioneers of Argentine football. A ...
. Ibáñez featured in another league match on 17 May, again in a 2–1 win, this time against Racing Club. Just as he started his breakthrough to the first team squad of Boca Juniors, he heard that the Croatian league club Dinamo Zagreb was interested in signing him. After consulting with his family and agent, he decided to accept the offer from Dinamo Zagreb and continue his footballing career in Europe. The transfer worth €650,000 was arranged on 11 June and Ibáñez officially joined Dinamo Zagreb two weeks later.


Dinamo Zagreb


First season

On 25 June 2008, Ibáñez signed a five-year contract worth €300,000 per annum with Dinamo Zagreb along with fellow Argentine footballer
Guillermo Suárez Guillermo Alejandro Suárez (born 9 June 1985 in Lincoln, Buenos Aires) is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for Coquimbo Unido as winger. Career Suárez started his youth career with Deportivo Armenio in 2001. In 2002, he joined ...
who was transferred from
Club Atlético Tigre Club Atlético Tigre is an Argentine professional football club located in Victoria, Buenos Aires. Tigre currently plays in the Primera División, the top level of the Argentine football league system, having secured promotion as the 2021 P ...
. The two were also the first ever Argentine men's footballers to play for the club. He was presented to the Croatian media as a successor to
Hrvoje Čale Hrvoje Čale (born 4 March 1985) is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a left-back. Club career Čale began his career at age nine in the youth ranks of Dinamo Zagreb. He made his break into the first team in 2003. However, ...
and competition to Carlos Santos on the
left back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...
position, and was issued a number 3 jersey. The club then signed another left flank player
Mirko Hrgović Mirko Hrgović (born 5 February 1979) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player currently working as an assistant coach for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Club career Široki Brijeg Hrgović has played for Posušj ...
on 18 July, who would quickly establish himself as a first-choice left back for the club, which eventually saw Ibáñez failing to make an appearance in a couple of early season matches. He was meant to play in his first official match for the club on 23 July in the Champions League
first qualifying round First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
against Linfield, but was disrupted by a shoulder injury. His debut appearance for Dinamo Zagreb came on 17 August in a 6–0 league win against
Cibalia Hrvatski nogometni klub Cibalia, commonly known as Cibalia Vinkovci or simply Cibalia, is a Croatian football club from the town of Vinkovci in eastern Croatia. Cibalia currently play in the Prva NL, Croatia's second-tier league. Their stadium ...
. Eleven days later, he also debuted in the Champions League, making an appearance as a substitute in a 3–1 defeat against
Shakhtar Donetsk Football Club Shakhtar Donetsk () is a Ukrainian professional Association football, football club that was based in the city of Donetsk until 2014 when, due to the War in Donbas (2014–2022), War in Donbas, the club was forced to move to Lvi ...
. Soon he established himself as a first team regular and was subject to constant praise by the Croatian football critics for his performances and commitment to the club. Ibáñez played in his first Eternal derby on 21 September which Dinamo Zagreb lost 2–0 at home grounds. On 19 October he scored his first goal for the club in a league match against
Šibenik Šibenik (), historically known as Sebenico (), is a historic town in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka (Croatia), Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is one of the oldest Croatia, Croatian self-governing cities ...
from a 45-yard direct free kick which made the final score 2–2. On 23 October he played in the club's first
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
group match against
NEC is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered at the NEC Supertower in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It provides IT and network solutions, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), Inte ...
, which Dinamo Zagreb won 3–2. After the match, NEC manager
Mario Been Marinus Antonius Been (born 11 December 1963) is a Dutch football manager and former professional player. As a footballer, Been played for Feyenoord, Pisa, Roda JC, Heerenveen, Tirol Innsbruck and Excelsior. He played in an attacking midf ...
said that Ibáñez was among the Dinamo Zagreb players that impressed him the most with their game. He was named the man of the match for his performance in the club's third UEFA Cup group match on 27 November which ended in a 1–0 defeat against
Spartak Moscow Spartak Moscow may refer to the following teams based or formerly based in Moscow, Russia: * FC Spartak Moscow, an association football club * HC Spartak Moscow, a professional ice hockey team * Spartak GM Moscow, a semi-professional rugby club * ...
. After the match, he released a press comment stating that he grew as a player since arriving at the club and that he is pleased with how fast he was able to adapt to the new team. His last match in 2008 came on 7 December in a 3–1 league win against
NK Zagreb Nogometni klub Zagreb (''Zagreb Football Club''), commonly known as NK Zagreb or simply Zagreb (), is a Croatian football club based in the capital city of Zagreb. It currently competes in the fifth tier league competition of Croatian footbal ...
. His next appearance, and first in 2009, came almost three months later, on 1 March in a league match against
Slaven Belupo Nogometni klub Slaven Belupo (), often referred to as Slaven Belupo, is a Croatian professional football club based in the city of Koprivnica in the north of Croatia. They play their home matches at Gradski stadion in Koprivnica. They play in ...
. After that he made a string of six consecutive appearances in the league, which ended with a match against
Inter Zaprešić Inter may refer to: Association football clubs * Inter Milan, an Italian club * SC Internacional, a Brazilian club * Inter Miami CF, an American club * Inter Playa del Carmen, a Mexican club * FC Inter Sibiu, a Romanian club * FC Inter Turku, a Fi ...
on 11 April. He made three more appearances before the end of the season, reaching a total number of 23 league appearances for the club, five of which he made an appearance as a substitute. He also started in all of the club's UEFA Cup matches. The club went on to win the double, and Ibáñez helped with 7 appearances in the
Croatian Cup Croatian Cup may refer to: *Croatian Football Cup *Croatian Football Super Cup *Croatian Women's Football Cup *Croatian Basketball Cup, also known as Krešimir Ćosić Cup *Croatian Handball Cup *Croatian Water Polo Cup The Croatian Water Polo C ...
, also scoring a goal against Hrvatski dragovoljac in the second round of the competition. On 13 May in the first leg of the Cup finals against
Hajduk Split Hrvatski Nogometni klub Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Split, that competes in the Croatian First League, the top tier in Croatian football. Since 1979, the club's home ...
he came into the match as a late substitute, while he failed to make an appearance in the second leg a fortnight later. He made a total of 37 appearances throughout his first season with the club, scored two goals and made one assist. In the post-season break he picked up an injury which then ruled him out for three months.


2009–2015

Ibáñez made his first appearance of the new season and marked his return following an off-season injury on 8 August in a league match against
Croatia Sesvete NK Croatia Sesvete was a Croatian football club based in the Sesvete district of the City of Zagreb. Previous club names: NK Sljeme (1957–1988), NK Sesvete (1988–1996), NK Badel Sesvete (1996–1997), NK Sesvete (1997–1998). The club was ...
which Dinamo Zagreb won 5–2. His next appearance came one month later, in a league tie against Inter Zaprešić on 12 September. On 5 November he played his first European match of the season in the fourth round of
2009–10 UEFA Europa League The 2009–10 UEFA Europa League was the first season of the UEFA Europa League, Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA. The competition was previously known as the UEFA Cup, which had been in existence for 38 years. Spai ...
group stage against
Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...
. On 25 November he scored a goal against Pomorac in the first leg of 2009–10 Croatian Cup quarterfinals. In Europa League, he played full match in 1–0 away win against
Anderlecht Anderlecht (; ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, B ...
on 2 December and featured in 2–1 home defeat against
FC Timişoara FC may refer to: Businesses, organisations, and schools * Fergusson College, a science and arts college in Pune, India * Finncomm Airlines (IATA code) * FranklinCovey company, NYSE stock symbol FC * Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in Pakis ...
on 17 December. He made only 9 league appearances for the club before the winter break, the last one being against Međimurje on 6 December. He made his first appearance in the 2010 on 27 February in a 6–0 league win over Croatia Sesvete. Ibáñez then played full 90 minutes in five consecutive league matches until 3 April when he got injured in a match against
Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...
. He sustained a broken
mandible In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla). The jawbone i ...
in a collision with
Alen Pamić Alen Pamić (15 October 1989 – 21 June 2013) was a Croatian professional footballer who last played for NK Istra 1961. Personal life Alen was the son of Croatia international Igor Pamić, his younger brother Zvonko is also a professional ...
during an aerial challenge. Despite the injury Ibáñez decided to play in the Croatian Cup semifinals against Hajduk Split. He played until the 79th minute of the match when he was substituted. After the match, he underwent surgery, although he reportedly asked manager Jurčić to play one more league match against Lokomotiva. He returned to action on 1 May in a league match against Hajduk Split which ended in a goalless draw. Ibáñez made a total of 18 league appearances in his second consecutive title-winning season with the club. In Croatian Cup, he featured in six matches and scored one goal. The 2010–11 season for Ibáñez started on 13 July when he played in a 5–1 home win against
FC Koper Football Club Koper, commonly referred to as FC Koper or simply Koper, is a Slovenian football club based in Koper that competes in the Slovenian First League, the top flight of Slovenian football. The club was founded in 1920. They won the Sl ...
in the
second qualifying round The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...
of the Champions League. On 17 July he won his first title of the season, making an appearance as a substitute in 2010 Croatian Supercup match against Hajduk Split which Dinamo Zagreb won 1–0. On 24 July he played the whole match in a 4–1 win against Hrvatski Dragovoljac on the opening matchday of the
2010–11 Prva HNL 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
. Ibáñez featured in both of the club's Champions League
third qualifying round Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...
matches against
Sheriff Tiraspol Fotbal Club Sheriff Tiraspol (), commonly known as Sheriff Tiraspol or simply Sheriff, is a professional football club based in Tiraspol, a city located in the unrecognised breakaway state of Transnistria, that plays in the Liga, the top tier o ...
which Dinamo Zagreb lost on penalties after an aggregate result was 2–2. He also successfully took a penalty during the shootout for a 4–3 score. On 30 October he scored a goal in injury time in a league match against Inter Zaprešić for the final score 3–0. He scored one more against Hrvatski dragovoljac three weeks later. The 2011–12 season started brightly for Ibañez as he scored in a league match against
Cibalia Hrvatski nogometni klub Cibalia, commonly known as Cibalia Vinkovci or simply Cibalia, is a Croatian football club from the town of Vinkovci in eastern Croatia. Cibalia currently play in the Prva NL, Croatia's second-tier league. Their stadium ...
in the
Prva HNL The Hrvatska nogometna liga (; ), abbreviated as HNL and also known for sponsorship reasons as the SuperSport HNL, is a professional association football league in Croatia and the highest level of the Croatian football league system. Establish ...
and against
HJK Helsinki Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi (), commonly known as HJK Helsinki (), or simply as HJK (), is a Finnish football club based in Helsinki. The club competes in Veikkausliiga, the top division of the Finnish football league system. Founded in 1907, the ...
in Champions League qualifying. He then made a string of impressive performances, assisting for the second goal in a 4–1 win against
Malmö FF Malmö Fotbollförening (), commonly known simply as Malmö FF or MFF, is a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö, Scania. They compete in the Allsvenskan, the top division of Swedish football, and play home matches at the Eleda S ...
in the Champions League Play-off and scoring the equalizer in a 1–1 draw against
Hajduk Split Hrvatski Nogometni klub Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Split, that competes in the Croatian First League, the top tier in Croatian football. Since 1979, the club's home ...
and twice in a 7–0 win against NK Varaždin. On 1 August 2013 it has been officially confirmed that
GNK Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional association football, football Football team, club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They ...
would loan out Ibáñez to Argentinian side Racing Club for a year. With the arrival of Ruben Lima and a total of three trained left-backs in the team, Dinamo had the choice to either keep Luis Ibáñez or
Josip Pivarić Josip Pivarić (; born 30 January 1989) is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a left-back. Club career Dinamo Zagreb Pivarić joined the Dinamo Zagreb youth academy at a young age. He was promoted to the first team during ...
. They eventually opted for the latter. It is not known whether the departure of Ibáñez had anything to do with the previous, hasty leaving of goalkeeper and fellow countryman,
Pablo Migliore Pablo Migliore (born 27 January 1982) is an Argentina, Argentine football (soccer), football goalkeeper who most recently played for Barracas Central. Club career Migliore started his career with Germinal de Rawson before moving to Club Atlé ...
, only a few days earlier. Migliore had apparently been recommended to Dinamo by none other than Ibáñez. During 2013/2014 season Ibanez was mostly substitute for
Josip Pivarić Josip Pivarić (; born 30 January 1989) is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a left-back. Club career Dinamo Zagreb Pivarić joined the Dinamo Zagreb youth academy at a young age. He was promoted to the first team during ...
. He wanted to find another club.


Győri ETO

On January 28, 2015, it was announced that Ibáñez joined the ranks of Győri ETO. However, on April 9, 2015, Győri's largest investor, Quaestor, went bankrupt. This resulted in the virtual liquidation of the club, and resulted in almost all of its players, including Ibáñez, to leave.


Red Star Belgrade

On 7 July 2015, he signed a three-year contract with
Red Star Belgrade Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...
. Ibañez started well at Red Star. After first games he was Red Star best player, and started to be fan favorite because of his fight spirit, work rate, great free kick, pace and energy. But after remarkable game and win against Čukarički in round 5 of the
Serbian Superliga The Serbian Super League (), also known as Mozzart SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Serbia and the highest level of the Serbian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a sys ...
, after great comeback at
Rajko Mitić Stadium The Rajko Mitić Stadium (, ), previously known as Stadion Crvene zvezde (), also known as Marakana ( sr-Cyrl, Маракана), is a multi-use stadium in Belgrade, Serbia which has been the home ground of Crvena zvezda since 1963. The stadiu ...
, when he scored two goals and assist for the third, fans adored and applauded him. First goal was from direct free kick, second from great penalty and assist was lovely pass from his side of pitch. In the first 5 games Ibáñez scored two goals and assisted 4 times. Also on that match he suffered muscle injury, separated him 3 weeks off the pitch.


Trabzonspor

In August 2016, Ibáñez signed with Turkish
Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), also known as Trendyol Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Turkey and the highest level of the Turkish football league system. In the 2023–2024 season, twen ...
club
Trabzonspor Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional sports club located in the city of Trabzon, located in Black Sea region, northeastern Turkey. Established in 1967 through the merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor is one of the most prominent A ...
. Only one year after playing at Trabzonspor and making only 5 league appearances, he was loaned to
Kardemir Karabükspor Kardemir Demir Çelik Karabükspor, known simply as Kardemir Karabükspor or Karabükspor, was a Turkish sports club based in Karabük. The team was founded in 1969 after a merger between "Karabük Gençlikspor" and "Demir Çelik Spor". The club ...
. After one more season at Trabzonspor, Ibáñez decided to leave the club in the summer of 2019.


Zrinjski Mostar

On 17 September 2019, Ibáñez came back to the Balkans after three years and signed a two-year contract with
Bosnian Premier League The Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina (; ; sr-Cyrl, Премијер лига Босне и Херцеговине), officially known as the Wwin League of Bosnia and Herzegovina for sponsorship purposes, is the top tier football leagu ...
club
Zrinjski Mostar Zrinjski Mostar is a sports association from the city of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was formed in 1905. Member clubs *Football: **HŠK Zrinjski Mostar *Basketball: **HKK Zrinjski Mostar (men's) ** ŽKK Zrinjski Mostar (women's) *H ...
, making him not only one of the biggest ever signings of Zrinjski, but of the whole league as well. He made his official debut for Zrinjski on 2 October 2019, in a 2–0 home win against Sloboda Tuzla in a cup game. He played his first league game for Zrinjski in a 0–0 home draw against
FK Sarajevo Fudbalski klub Sarajevo ( sh-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Сарајево; , English language, English: Sarajevo Football Club), is a professional Association football, football Sports club, club based in Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosn ...
on 5 October 2019. Ibáñez left Zrinjski in June 2021 after his contract with the club expired.


International career

Ibáñez was not capped for
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
at senior level, but he was made aware by the national team staff that they will consider calling him up when he gets older and if he keeps playing well. He also stated that he would like to play for
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
.


Style of play

Ibáñez prefers to play on the left flank, either as a full-back or winger and considers himself equally adept at both positions. Since his arrival, he has been praised by Croatian media for his work rate, pace, agility, technical skills and shot power. His powerful left foot shot is considered as his main attribute by the critics. He is also noted for being an excellent direct free kick taker. He was the usual set-piece taker whilst in the reserve team at Boca Juniors. He quickly arose to popularity due to his constant commitment on the field and for always giving his best. Dinamo Zagreb's executive vice president
Zdravko Mamić Zdravko Mamić (born 16 July 1959) is a Croatian-Bosnian former football administrator and sports agent. From 2003 to 2016, he was the executive director of Croatian football club GNK Dinamo Zagreb. Mamić also worked as an advisor at NK Lokomot ...
once stated that Ibáñez is best Croatian left back since
Robert Jarni Robert Jarni (born 26 October 1968) is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a left winger or wingback. Jarni started his professional career with Hajduk Split in 1986, and went on to spend 10 years playing for various clubs ...
, despite player not having Croatian citizenship at the time.


Career statistics


Club


Honours

Dinamo Zagreb *
Prva HNL The Hrvatska nogometna liga (; ), abbreviated as HNL and also known for sponsorship reasons as the SuperSport HNL, is a professional association football league in Croatia and the highest level of the Croatian football league system. Establish ...
: 2008–09, 2009–10,
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
, 2011–12,
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
*
Croatian Cup Croatian Cup may refer to: *Croatian Football Cup *Croatian Football Super Cup *Croatian Women's Football Cup *Croatian Basketball Cup, also known as Krešimir Ćosić Cup *Croatian Handball Cup *Croatian Water Polo Cup The Croatian Water Polo C ...
: 2008–09,
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
, 2011–12 * Croatian Super Cup:
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
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2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
Red Star Belgrade *
Serbian SuperLiga The Serbian Super League (), also known as Mozzart SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Serbia and the highest level of the Serbian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a sys ...
: 2015–16 Individual *
Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season The Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season is an annual award given to a set of 11 footballers in the top tier of Football in Serbia, Serbian football, the Serbian SuperLiga, SuperLiga, who are seen to be the best 11 players of the calendar season. S ...
: 2015–16


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Luis Ibáñez
at Sofascore {{DEFAULTSORT:Ibanez, Luis 1988 births Living people Footballers from Moreno Partido Argentine men's footballers Boca Juniors footballers GNK Dinamo Zagreb players Racing Club de Avellaneda footballers Győri ETO FC players Red Star Belgrade footballers Trabzonspor footballers Kardemir Karabükspor footballers HŠK Zrinjski Mostar players RFK Grafičar Beograd players Expatriate men's footballers in Croatia Expatriate men's footballers in Hungary Expatriate men's footballers in Serbia Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey Expatriate men's footballers in Bosnia and Herzegovina Argentine expatriate men's footballers Argentine Primera División players Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Croatia Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Hungary Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Serbia Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatian Football League players Nemzeti Bajnokság I players Naturalized citizens of Croatia Serbian SuperLiga players Serbian First League players Süper Lig players Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina players Men's association football defenders 21st-century Argentine sportsmen