Iborra · Biography

Vicente Iborra de la Fuente was born on 16 January 1988 in Moncada, near Valencia, and came through the youth system at Levante UD. A 1.90-metre defensive midfielder, he played in Spain, England and Greece. He won four Europa League titles, three with Sevilla and one with Villarreal, plus a Conference League with Olympiacos. He retired in July 2025 at the club where he started.

Youth and debut at Levante

He rose through Levante's academy and spent the 2007-08 season with the reserve side, scoring four goals in 17 games. His first-team debut came on 9 January 2008 in the Copa del Rey last 16 against Getafe, who won 3-0. Four days later he made his La Liga debut against Real Madrid. His first top-flight goal followed on 30 March 2008 at Almería, in a 2-1 defeat. Levante were relegated that season, and Iborra spent two years in the Spanish second division before the club won promotion back in 2010.

Back in the top flight, he became a fixture in midfield for a side that played in the Europa League in 2012-13. His first spell at Levante ended with 257 competitive appearances and 15 goals.

Four seasons at Sevilla

On 16 August 2013 he signed a five-year contract with Sevilla, who paid Levante six million euros. In Seville he won the Europa League in 2014, 2015 and 2016, with finals in Turin, Warsaw and Basel. He was also a Copa del Rey runner-up in 2016 and lost three UEFA Super Cups, in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Over time he added runs into the box to his game and became a regular scorer from midfield. On 11 December 2016 he scored a hat-trick against Celta de Vigo in a 3-0 win. He left Sevilla with 173 appearances and 30 goals.

A spell in the Premier League

On 6 July 2017 he joined Leicester City for a reported fifteen million euros on a four-year deal. A groin injury in pre-season delayed his debut until 30 September 2017, away at Bournemouth. His first Premier League goal came on 4 November 2017 against Stoke City. In England he played 37 games and scored four goals.

Villarreal, injury and a fourth Europa League

On 7 January 2019 he returned to Spain, signing for Villarreal until June 2023. On 13 December 2020 he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee against Real Betis and missed the rest of the season, the one in which Villarreal won the 2021 Europa League in Gdansk. That summer he was also a UEFA Super Cup runner-up. He made 104 appearances and scored five goals for the club. In July 2022 he went back to Levante on loan, then in the second division, and played 43 games in 2022-23.

Olympiacos and the return home

On 11 July 2023 he moved to Olympiacos in Greece. In his only season in Piraeus he played 30 games and won the 2024 Conference League, whose final was held in Athens. On 9 July 2024 he rejoined Levante on a free transfer and a one-year contract. He played 26 games in 2024-25, when the team won the second division title and promotion to La Liga.

Retirement and coaching

Levante announced his retirement on 4 July 2025. He finished his career with 618 competitive appearances and 59 goals, and is third on the list of players with the most professional appearances in the club's history. The same day he joined Julián Calero's staff as assistant coach. When Levante sacked Calero on 30 November 2025, Iborra and Álvaro del Moral, the reserve team coach, took charge of the first team on an interim basis until the Portuguese coach Luís Castro was hired on 20 December 2025.