Pablo Ibáñez

Early life and career

Pablo was born in Madrigueras, in the Province of Albacete in Castile-La Mancha, the son of a member of the Policía Nacional. He grew up in Leganés, in the greater Madrid area, where his father was stationed, and played football as a midfielder or occasional forward for a team in the district of El Carrascal. His parents had connections with the Albacete club, and at the age of 14, Pablo began his football career in that club's youth teams where he was converted to play in central defence. He worked his way through the junior teams, but instead of moving up into Albacete's B team, he was sent on loan to Caravaca, who were then playing in the Tercera División (fourth tier). On returning to his owning club, he played the 2001–02 season for Albacete B, also in the Tercera. He was a regular starter, and helped the team reach the promotion play-offs but without success.

Albacete

After seeing Pablo work with the first-team squad during pre-season training, coach César Ferrando was quoted as saying he would pick Pablo and ten others for the coming campaign. He was as good as his word: Pablo made his Segunda División debut in a 1–1 draw away to Terrassa on 31 August 2002, and went on to start 38 of Albacete's 42 matches as they finished the season in third place and were promoted to La Liga. After only a few second-tier matches, he had made sufficient impact to attract interest from clubs both domestic and foreign and receive a call-up to the…

At 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in), Pablo is tall; he is good in the air, and as a younger player was noted for his pace. Albacete teammate Miquel Buades suggested that those key attributes made him "the worst thing that could happen to a forward". His coach at both Albacete and Atlético, César Ferrando, said he had all the qualities needed for his position, which included anticipation and the intelligence to keep things simple. Again according to Ferrando, Pablo rarely fouled, because "he doesn't need to. He has a whole arsenal of defensive resources." A 2006 World Cup profile suggested he was "much happier on the ball than first impressions may suggest", and could look "ungainly". A scout's assessment of his running style as "ugly" reportedly discouraged Real Madrid from pursuing an early interest in him. In later years, he used his experience: in 2012, the Birmingham Mail suggested that, in contrast to the "more aggressive and animated" Steven Caldwell, "Pablo tends to be subtle in his positioning and tackling, he likes to read the game rather than go head-to-head in a gladiatorial battle".

After only a few Segunda División matches, Pablo received his first call-up to the Spanish under-21 team, for a friendly match against Bulgaria on 19 November 2002. Despite the media's assumption that he would be among the substitutes, he played the whole match as Spain won 7–1. He was a regular selection over the next 12 months, and finished his under-21 career with ten caps. His last appearances came as Spain were eliminated by Sweden in the qualification play-offs for the 2004 European Under-21 Championships. His first call-up to the senior national squad came in October 2004, for World Cup qualifiers against Belgium and Lithuania, as a replacement for Juanito who dropped out of the original selection because of injury. Carlos Marchena and Carles Puyol were the centre-back pairing in possession, and Pablo remained on the bench for both games. He made his international debut on 17 November 2004 in a friendly against England in Madrid. He entered the game as a half-time substitute for Marchena, with Spain leading 1–0; with 20 minutes left, he appeared to foul Alan Smith in the act of shooting, but no penalty was awarded – he told Mundo Atleti that Smith had thrown himself to the floor once he realised he could not reach the ball – and Spain had no difficulty retaining their lead. Pablo replaced Iván Helguera, who had previously been a regular selection, in the squad for Spain's next match, a World Cup qualifier at home to San Marino in February 2005, but did not play. In…

Pablo married Maika in Albacete Cathedral in 2007. As of December 2010, the couple had one son, Adrián, and one daughter, Paula. In 2008, the Provincial Government of Albacete presented Pablo, Santi Denia, and Andrés Iniesta with the Medalla de Oro de Honor y Gratitud (Gold Medal of Honour and Gratitude), not only for their footballing prowess, as the only three natives of the province to play for the senior national team, but also in recognition of personal qualities that made them an example for the youth of the region.