El Periodico Mediterraneo had a very interesting series of articles today, comparing Ibagaza with former playmaker Riquelme. I cannot imagine Ibagaza playing exactly the same role, but it is an interesting comparison. The effect on the mentality of the rest of the team, though, I feel sure needs no comparison!
The articles are all in Spanish, so for non-Spanish-speaking readers, just put http://www.villarrealusa.org into the translator over at translate.google.com, and all of the links will come up in (fairly) easy-to-read English.
- Pellegrini's view of Ibagaza
- Pricetag
- Freekicks
- Goalscoring
- Assists
- Likelihood of passing the ball
- Causing locker-room trouble
I have not gotten a chance to see Ibagaza wear yellow yet, but the way the preseason has been going, it looks like he could have a very special year.