Iván Díaz (footballer, born 1978)
Iván Díaz Ruiz is a Spanish footballer who plays for Ripoll CF as a midfielder.Club career
Born in Sabadell, Barcelona, Catalonia, Díaz was a FC Barcelona youth graduate. He made his senior debut with CE Sabadell FC on 11 May 1997, by coming on as a substitute in a 2–3 Segunda División B away loss against Elche CF.
Bought by RCD Espanyol in 1998 for 15 million pesetas, Díaz was initially assigned to the reserves also in the third level. Promoted to the main squad in the following year, he made his professional debut on 17 July 1999 when he started in a 0–2 home defeat to Montpellier HSC for that year's UEFA Intertoto Cup.
Díaz made his La Liga debut on 22 April 2000, starting in a 0–1 loss at Real Valladolid. In the summer of 2002 he moved to Albacete Balompié in Segunda División, achieving promotion at first attempt; in the meantime he scored his first professional goal, netting the winner in a 2–1 home win over UD Las Palmas.
Díaz left Alba in 2005 after suffering relegation, and subsequently resumed his career in the lower leagues, representing Sabadell, UE Figueres, UD Logroñés, CF Atlético Ciudad, Espanyol B, Terrassa FC, Sangonera Atlético CF, CD Leganés, CE Premià, FC Santboià, Palamós CF, CD Alcanar and Ripoll CF. He also had international stints at Halmstads BK and Auckland City FC.
