Ignacio 'Natxo' Insa Bohigues (born 9 June 1986) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Malaysian club Johor Darul Ta'zim.
He spent most of his career in the Segunda División, playing 244 matches and scoring ten goals for Eibar, Villarreal B, Celta, Zaragoza, Alcorcón and Levante. In La Liga, he represented Villarreal's first team and Celta.
Born in Spain, Insa appeared for Malaysia internationally, making his debut in 2018.
Club career Insa was born in Cocentaina, Province of Alicante, Valencian Community. A product of Valencia CF's youth ranks, he made his first-team debut in a friendly with Fenerbahçe S.K. in July 2006, but spent the vast majority of that season with the B side in the Segunda División B. He first appeared officially for the main squad on 5 December 2006, coming on as an early substitute in a UEFA Champions League game at AS Roma (1–0 group stage loss). He played his first La Liga match on 17 June of the following year, featuring the last six minutes of the 3–3 home draw against Real Sociedad.
Insa was loaned to Segunda División club SD Eibar in 2007–08, scoring twice in 33 appearances. The deal was renewed for the following campaign, where he appeared slightly less and also suffered relegation.
In August 2009, Insa moved to Villarreal CF, spending his first season with the reserves also in the second division. He played just one competitive match with the first team, 11 minutes in a 1–0 away defeat to CA Osasuna.
From 2011 to 2013, Insa represented RC Celta de Vigo. In the latter campaign he scored two goals, the first in a 2–2 home draw against FC Barcelona and the second in a 1–0 victory over RCD Espanyol also at Balaídos; that last matchday win ultimately proved essential, as the Galicians eventually avoided relegation.
After a one-year spell abroad at Turkey's Antalyaspor, Insa returned to Spain and its second tier in January 2015, appearing for Real Zaragoza, AD Alcorcón and Levante UD in quick succession. On 6 June 2017, he signed with Malaysia Super League's Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. for a fee of nearly €400,000.
International career Insa obtained Malaysian citizenship through his grandmother, who was born in Sabah. He won his first cap for their national team on 22 March 2018 at the age of 31, in a 2–2 friendly draw with Mongolia.
In June 2023, five years after his first appearance, Insa was called up by the second time for friendlies against Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea to be held that month. He did not take the field on either match, only featuring again on 20 January 2024 in the 1–0 loss to Bahrain in the group stage of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, subsequently facing heavy criticism for his performance.
Style of play Insa was described as a defensive midfielder with a high work rate and tactical discipline. According to Malaysia national team coach Peter Cklamovski, he was capable of dictating the tempo of a match by either slowing down or accelerating play. His physical performance data was cited as satisfactory by the Asian Football Confederation, while he was considered to possess attributes that aligned with an attacking and structured tactical approach.
Personal life Insa's younger brother, Kiko, is also a former Malaysian international footballer.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueCupContinentalTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsValencia B2006–07Segunda División B342—20362Valencia2006–07La Liga10001020Eibar (loan)2007–08Segunda División33210—3422008–09Segunda División23100—231Total56310—573Villarreal B2009–10Segunda División342——3422010–11Segunda División400——400Total742——742Villarreal2010–11La Liga1000—10Celta2011–12Segunda División28130—3112012–13La Liga18200—182Total46330—493Antalyaspor2013–14Süper Lig16041—201Zaragoza2014–15Segunda División17000—170Alcorcón2015–16Segunda División34210—352Levante2016–17Segunda División35200—352Johor Darul Ta'zim2017 Malaysia Super League9292—1842018Malaysia Super League14340502222019Malaysia Super League300010402020Malaysia Super League600020802021Malaysia Super League19100502412022Malaysia Super League15010502102023Malaysia Super League7010201002024–25Malaysia Super League803040150Total8161822401238Career total3831924318042921
International + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsMalaysia201810202410Total20
Honours Levante Segunda División: 2016–17
Johor Darul Ta'zim Malaysia Super League: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024–25 Malaysia FA Cup: 2022, 2024, 2025 Malaysia Cup: 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024–25 Piala Sumbangsih: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025
Individual Malaysia Super League Player of the Month: October 2017
References
External links