Natxo Insa facts for kids
Insa playing for Antalyaspor in 2013
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ignacio Insa Bohigues | ||
| Date of birth | 9 June 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Cocentaina, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Johor Darul Ta'zim | ||
| Number | 30 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Valencia | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2007 | Valencia B | 36 | (2) |
| 2007–2009 | Valencia | 1 | (0) |
| 2007–2009 | → Eibar (loan) | 56 | (3) |
| 2009–2011 | Villarreal B | 74 | (2) |
| 2011 | Villarreal | 1 | (0) |
| 2011–2013 | Celta | 46 | (3) |
| 2013–2014 | Antalyaspor | 16 | (0) |
| 2015 | Zaragoza | 17 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Alcorcón | 34 | (2) |
| 2016–2017 | Levante | 35 | (2) |
| 2017– | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 83 | (6) |
| International career | |||
| 2018– | Malaysia | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:34, 30 March 2025 (UTC) | |||
Ignacio 'Natxo' Insa Bohigues (born on June 9, 1986) is a professional footballer. He plays as a midfielder for the Malaysian club Johor Darul Ta'zim.
Natxo Insa spent most of his career playing in Spain's Segunda División. This is the second-highest football league in Spain. He played 244 matches and scored ten goals for several teams. These teams included Eibar, Villarreal B, Celta, Zaragoza, Alcorcón, and Levante. He also played in La Liga, which is Spain's top league, for Villarreal and Celta.
Even though he was born in Spain, Insa later played for the Malaysian national team. He made his first appearance for Malaysia in 2018.
Contents
Natxo Insa's Club Career
Early Years in Spain
Natxo Insa was born in Cocentaina, a town in Spain. He grew up playing football in the youth system of Valencia CF. This is a very well-known Spanish club. He played his first game for Valencia's main team in July 2006. This was a friendly match against Fenerbahçe S.K..
Most of that season, he played for Valencia's B team, called Valencia B. They played in the Segunda División B, which is a lower league. Natxo Insa's first official game for Valencia's main team was on December 5, 2006. He came on as a substitute in a UEFA Champions League game against AS Roma. His first La Liga match was on June 17, 2007. He played for the last six minutes in a 3-3 draw against Real Sociedad.
Playing for Eibar and Villarreal
In 2007, Insa was loaned to SD Eibar, a club in the Segunda División. He played well there, scoring two goals in 33 games during the 2007–08 season. He stayed with Eibar for another season, but the team was relegated to a lower league.
In August 2009, Insa moved to Villarreal CF. He spent his first season playing for their reserve team, Villarreal B, also in the second division. He only played one official game for Villarreal's main team. This was for 11 minutes in a 1-0 loss against CA Osasuna.
Time with Celta and Antalyaspor
From 2011 to 2013, Natxo Insa played for Celta. In the 2012–13 season, he scored two important goals. One was in a 2-2 draw against FC Barcelona. The other was in a 1-0 win against RCD Espanyol. This win helped Celta avoid being relegated from La Liga.
After playing for Celta, Insa moved to Turkey for one year. He played for a team called Antalyaspor.
Return to Spain and Move to Malaysia
In January 2015, Insa returned to Spain. He played for several teams in the second division. These included Zaragoza, Alcorcón, and Levante. On June 6, 2017, he made a big move. He signed with Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C., a club in the Malaysia Super League. He joined them for a fee of almost €400,000.
Natxo Insa's International Career
Natxo Insa gained Malaysian citizenship because his grandmother was born in Sabah, Malaysia. He played his first game for the Malaysian national team on March 22, 2018. He was 31 years old at the time. This was a friendly match that ended in a 2-2 draw against Mongolia.
In June 2023, five years after his first game, Insa was called up again for Malaysia. He was part of the squad for friendly matches against Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. He did not play in those games. His next appearance was on January 20, 2024. This was in a 1-0 loss to Bahrain during the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
Natxo Insa's Playing Style
Natxo Insa is known as a defensive midfielder. This means he helps protect his team's goal. He is known for working very hard during games. He also has good tactical discipline, meaning he follows the team's plans well.
According to Malaysia's national team coach, Peter Cklamovski, Insa can control the speed of a match. He can make the game faster or slower depending on what the team needs. His physical performance is also very good. He has qualities that fit well with an attacking and organized style of play.
Personal Life
Natxo Insa has a younger brother named Kiko. Kiko is also a former Malaysian international footballer. This means both brothers have played for the Malaysian national team.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Valencia B | 2006–07 | Segunda División B | 34 | 2 | — | 2 | 0 | 36 | 2 | |
| Valencia | 2006–07 | La Liga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Eibar (loan) | 2007–08 | Segunda División | 33 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 34 | 2 | |
| 2008–09 | Segunda División | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 23 | 1 | ||
| Total | 56 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 57 | 3 | |||
| Villarreal B | 2009–10 | Segunda División | 34 | 2 | — | — | 34 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | Segunda División | 40 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 0 | |||
| Total | 74 | 2 | — | — | 74 | 2 | ||||
| Villarreal | 2010–11 | La Liga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| Celta | 2011–12 | Segunda División | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 31 | 1 | |
| 2012–13 | La Liga | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 18 | 2 | ||
| Total | 46 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 49 | 3 | |||
| Antalyaspor | 2013–14 | Süper Lig | 16 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 20 | 1 | |
| Zaragoza | 2014–15 | Segunda División | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | |
| Alcorcón | 2015–16 | Segunda División | 34 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 35 | 2 | |
| Levante | 2016–17 | Segunda División | 35 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 35 | 2 | |
| Johor Darul Ta'zim | 2017 | Malaysia Super League | 9 | 2 | 9 | 2 | — | 18 | 4 | |
| 2018 | Malaysia Super League | 14 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 22 | 2 | |
| 2019 | Malaysia Super League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2020 | Malaysia Super League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2021 | Malaysia Super League | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 24 | 1 | |
| 2022 | Malaysia Super League | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| 2023 | Malaysia Super League | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2024–25 | Malaysia Super League | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| Total | 81 | 6 | 18 | 2 | 24 | 0 | 123 | 8 | ||
| Career total | 383 | 19 | 24 | 3 | 18 | 0 | 429 | 21 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | 2018 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |
Honours and Achievements
Natxo Insa has won several titles with his clubs:
Levante
- Segunda División: 2016–17 (This means they won the second division league title)
Johor Darul Ta'zim
- Malaysia Super League: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024–25 (They have won the top Malaysian league many times!)
- Malaysia FA Cup: 2022, 2024
- Malaysia Cup: 2017, 2019, 2022
- Malaysia Charity Shield: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
Individual Awards
- Malaysia Super League Player of the Month: October 2017 (This means he was recognized as the best player in the league for that month!)
See also
In Spanish: Natxo Insa para niños
