Nicolas Ibanez
31-Year-Old
Cruz Azul
Liga MX
OUT
Injury Calf
Est. Return 5/6/2026
Diagnosed with muscle tear
Ibanez (calf) underwent imaging tests Thursday and was confirmed to have suffered a muscle rupture of the gastrocnemius and soleus in the right leg, according to the club.
ANALYSIS
Ibanez was not given an official recovery timeline, but reports suggest his absence could range between three and six weeks, with his return unlikely to happen in the Clausura campaign unless Cruz Azul reach the final playoff rounds. The striker, who joined the club on a transfer from Tigres in February, scored four goals and delivered an assist over 13 appearances for La Maquina across all competitions. While his exclusion from the rotation will hurt the team's attacking power, they still have a few options, with Gabriel Fernandez expected to start and Christian Ebere offering a backup asset.
Ibanez was not given an official recovery timeline, but reports suggest his absence could range between three and six weeks, with his return unlikely to happen in the Clausura campaign unless Cruz Azul reach the final playoff rounds. The striker, who joined the club on a transfer from Tigres in February, scored four goals and delivered an assist over 13 appearances for La Maquina across all competitions. While his exclusion from the rotation will hurt the team's attacking power, they still have a few options, with Gabriel Fernandez expected to start and Christian Ebere offering a backup asset.
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Suffers muscle issue, pending tests
Ibanez's injury is thought to be less serious than originally feared, with coach Nicolas Larcamon stating Monday that "These are days when the swelling makes it impossible to see the area of the injury. We hope that the scans will reveal with more certainty what type of injury it is at the muscular level; tendon injuries are ruled out, as I'm told.", Higinio Robles of La Aficion reports.
ANALYSIS
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Comes off injured Saturday
Ibanez left due to a worrying issue in the first half of Saturday's match against America, Leon Lecanda of ESPN reports.
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Scores opener in draw
Ibanez scored one goal on two shots, created two chances and had two clearances in Saturday's 2-2 draw versus Pumas.
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Provides assist against San Luis
Ibanez assisted once to go with five shots (one on goal) and one chance created in Saturday's 3-0 win versus Atletico San Luis.
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Scores goal in win
Ibanez scored one goal to go with eight shots (two on goal) in Sunday's 2-1 win versus Tigres. In addition, he was given a yellow card in the 48th minute.
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