Ibba Laajab

Abdurahim Laajab (born 21 May 1985), commonly known as Ibba Laajab (イバ), is a professional footballer who plays for Lyn as a winger. Ibba also plays futsal. Born in Morocco, he holds Norwegian citizenship and is one of the key players in the Norway futsal team.

Ibba Laajab
Laajab in 2018
Personal information
Full name Abdurahim Laajab
Date of birth (1985-05-21) 21 May 1985
Place of birth Morocco
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Winger, striker
Team information
Current team
 Lyn
Number 14
Youth career
Vålerenga
0000–2002 Moss
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2005 Skeid 18 (2)
2005 → Drøbak/Frogn (loan)
2006 Sørumsand 0 (0)
2006–2007 Borussia Mönchengladbach II 1 (0)
2007 Skeid 16 (1)
2008–2009 Notodden 43 (10)
2010 Mjøndalen 27 (9)
2011 Strømmen 24 (7)
2012 Vålerenga 6 (0)
2012 → Stabæk (loan) 5 (0)
2013–2014 Bodø/Glimt 56 (30)
2015 Hebei China Fortune 30 (8)
2016–2020 Yokohama FC 158 (78)
2020–2022 Omiya Ardija 35 (4)
2022– Lyn 20 (11)
International career
2011–2015 Norway (futsal) 20 (19)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11 August 2023

Laajab grew up in Norway and played eight seasons in the Norwegian First Division with Skeid, Notodden, Mjøndalen and Strømmen before he signed with Tippeligaen-side Vålerenga in 2012. After spending the second half of the 2012 season on loan with Stabæk, Ibba joined Bodø/Glimt ahead of the 2013 season.

After two successful campaigns with the Norwegian side he got a transfer to Chinese League One side Hebei China Fortune. After a year there he moved the J2 League side Yokohama FC and has so far enjoyed great success there.

Football career

Ibba was born to Moroccan parents and moved to Norway when he was one month old.[1] He played at Vålerenga and Moss during his youth,[2][3] and later joined Skeid because his friends were playing there.[2] At Skeid he was teammate with Moa, Mos, Birger Madsen and Dawda Leigh.[1]

Ibba didn't get too much playing time with Skeid, but during the second half of the 2004-season he played 248 minutes in nine matches in the First Division and scored two goals. Ahead of the 2005-season, Ibba and his teammate Moa joined Rosenborg BK on their pre-season tour to La Manga Club.[4] Ibba was sent on a short loan-spell to Drøbak-Frogn in 2005,[3] and left Skeid after the season and signed a one-year contract with Sørumsand which had been relegated from the Third Division.[5]

Before he played a match for Sørumsand, Ibba moved to Borussia Mönchengladbach[5] where Jørn Andersen was the assistant coach. Ibba and Andersen communicated with each other in Norwegian. A year later Andersen was fired together with the head coach, and the new coach only talked to Ibba in German, a language Ibba did not try to learn, and eventually Ibba requested to terminate his contract and moved home to Norway.[1] He only played one match for Borussia Mönchengladbach II.

In 2007 Ibba was back in Skeid, before he signed a contract with Notodden ahead of the 2008-season.[6] Ibba played regularly in the first-team until head coach Jan Halvor Halvorsen was fired halfway through the 2009-season. The new coach, Arne Sandstø placed him on the bench and Ibba left the club after the season. Ahead of the 2010-season, Ibba was on a trial with the Spanish second-tier club Elche and was offered a contract there, but Ibba rejected the offer and decided to move to Mjøndalen instead.[1] Mjøndalen's coach Vegard Hansen stated that Ibba was a risky signing due to his poor reputation, but that the 24-year had such an unredeemed potential that he couldn't ignore him.[7]

Ibba played for Strømmen in 2011, where he scored seven goals in 24 matches in the First Division,[8] and ahead of the 2012-season he signed for Vålerenga.[2][9] After Ibba's transfer to Vålerenga, his former teammate from Skeid and former Vålerenga-player, Moa, said in an interview with Norwegian TV2 that the supporters of Vålerenga should be excited about their new signing and dubbed Ibba as one of the best newcomers of the 2012 Tippeligaen.[10] Ibba made his first-team debut for Vålerenga in the friendly match against the Second Division-side Nesodden on 11 January 2012.[11] After playing six matches for Vålerenga in Tippeligaen, Ibba was loaned out to Stabæk in August 2012 for the rest of the season.[12]

Ibba joined Bodø/Glimt ahead of the 2013 season, where he was reunited with his coach from Notodden, Jan Halvor Halvorsen.[13] Ibba signed a three-year contract with Bodø/Glimt.[14]

On 25 February 2015, Ibba transferred to China League One side Hebei China Fortune.[15]

On 25 August 2022, he signed for Lyn.[16]

Futsal career

Ibba is known as one of the biggest futsal-stars in Norway.[2][8][9] In his debut for the Norwegian futsal team, he scored three goals when Norway won 7–2 against Malta on 13 January 2011.[17] The next day he again scored three goals against Malta, before he scored another hat-trick when Norway won against Israel in the qualifying match for the 2012 UEFA Futsal Championship on 20 January, which made a total of nine goals in his first three matches for Norway.[18]

Ahead of the qualifying match against Spain on 15 December 2011, Norway's national team coach Esten O. Sæther called Ibba a "top international futsal player", and that if their chances against Spain was depending on Ibba's performance and that he had to play at his very best.[19] Three days later, Ibba scored the goal that secured a 3–3 draw against Belgium and sent Norway to the playoff round of the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup qualifier.[9]

Style of play

Laajab has a good physique, a good temperament and good one-on-one skills and has a great breakthrough force.[20]

Career statistics
As of match played 23 October 2022[21][22]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Skeid 2003 1. divisjon 100010
2004 1. divisjon 920092
2005 1. divisjon 800080
Total 18200182
Skeid 2007 1. divisjon 16110171
Notodden 2008 1. divisjon 24800248
2009 1. divisjon 19210202
Total 4310104410
Mjøndalen 2010 1. divisjon 279313010
Strømmen 2011 1. divisjon 24721268
Vålerenga 2012 Eliteserien 602181
Stabæk (loan) 2012 Eliteserien 500050
Bodø/Glimt 2013 1. divisjon 2617322919
2014 Eliteserien 3013303313
Total 5630626232
Hebei China Fortune 2015 China League One 30810318
Yokohama 2016 J2 League 4018114119
2017 J2 League 4125004125
2018 J2 League 4017004017
2019 J2 League 3618003618
2020 J1 League 102030
Total 158783116179
Omiya Ardija 2020 J2 League 13100131
2021 J2 League 22300223
Total 35400354
Lyn 2022 3. divisjon 950095
2023 2. divisjon 11620136
Total 2011202211
Career total 427154196446160

References
  1. "Sikter mot Tippeligaen" [Aims for the Tippeliga] (in Norwegian). Drammens Tidende. 3 April 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  2. "Futsal-stjernen "Ibba" har signert for Vålerenga" [Futsal star signs with Vålerenga] (in Norwegian). TV2. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  3. "Abdurahim Laajab". altomfotball.no (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  4. ""Ibba" erstattet Madsen" (in Norwegian). RBKweb.no. 29 January 2005. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  5. "Fra Sørumsand til tysk storklubb" [From Sørumsand to big German club] (in Norwegian). Romerikes Blad. 3 February 2006. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  6. "Ibba signerte – Notodden tapte". ta.no (in Norwegian). Telemarksavisa. 1 February 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  7. "Abdurahim Laajaab signerte med MIF" (in Norwegian). Drammens Tidende. 25 January 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  8. "Vålerenga signerte "futsalstjerne"" [Futsal star signed with Vålerenga] (in Norwegian). Nettavisen. 6 January 2012. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  9. "VIF-Andresen signerte futsal-stjerne" [Andresen signed futsal star]. NTB (in Norwegian). Bergens Tidende. 6 January 2012. Archived from the original on 14 January 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  10. "Moa: – Ingen andre kan det Ibba kan!" [Moa: – No one else can do what Ibba does!] (in Norwegian). TV2. 8 March 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  11. "Ibba får sin VIF-debut". tv2.no (in Norwegian). TV2. 11 January 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  12. Snare, Kaja Marie (31 August 2012). "VIF signerte kanadisk landslagsspiller" (in Norwegian). Nettavisen. Archived from the original on 31 August 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  13. Slettemo, Knut Henning (11 February 2013). "Halvorsen henter Ibba til Glimt" (in Norwegian). Telen. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  14. Berge, Andreas Kristoffer (11 February 2013). ""Ibba" forlater Vålerenga" (in Norwegian). Nettavisen. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  15. 河北华夏幸福签约挪威中锋 at sports.sohu.com 25 February 2015 Retrieved 25 February 2014
  16. "Ibba!" (in Norwegian). Lyn 1896. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  17. ""Ibba" lekte inn tre mål i debuten for Norge" [Ibba easily scored three goals in his national team debut] (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. 14 January 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  18. ""Ibba" har gjort tre hattrick på sine tre landskamper" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. 21 January 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  19. "Landslagssjefen om "Ibba": – Han er på et internasjonalt toppnivå" [National team manager about "Ibba": "He is at a top international level"] (in Norwegian). TV2. 15 December 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  20. "Style of playing" (in Norwegian). vif-fotball.no. 6 April 2012. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  21. "Ibba Laajab". altomfotball.no (in Norwegian). TV 2. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  22. Ibba Laajab at the Norwegian Football Federation (in Norwegian)
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