# Cruz Ibeh
**Cruz Ibeh** is an English footballer who plays as a forward for [Middlesbrough](https://www.edgepedia.org/middlesbrough), where he has come through the club's academy and been named among the substitutes for the first team in the Championship, the second tier of English football.[1](https://fbref.com/en/players/29317106/Cruz-Ibeh) • [2](https://theanalyst.com/players/10114/cruz-ibeh/career)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position | Forward (center-forward); right-footed[3](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/cruz-ibeh/profil/spieler/1305648) |
| Height | 1.87 m[3](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/cruz-ibeh/profil/spieler/1305648) |
| Club | Middlesbrough; joined the U18 squad on 1 July 2025, with a contract extension recorded on 17 November 2025[3](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/cruz-ibeh/profil/spieler/1305648) |
| First-team league record | 2 Championship appearances in 2025/2026, both as a substitute, with 0 minutes on the pitch[2](https://theanalyst.com/players/10114/cruz-ibeh/career) |
| Youth output 2025/2026 | U18 Premier League: 12 appearances, 3 goals (1 penalty), 3 assists; Premier League 2: 5 appearances, 3 goals[2](https://theanalyst.com/players/10114/cruz-ibeh/career) |
| Shirt number | 44[4](https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/cruz-ibeh/1914059) |
## Profile
Ibeh is an English player listed by FBref as a forward with Middlesbrough.[1](https://fbref.com/en/players/29317106/Cruz-Ibeh) Transfermarkt records him as a center-forward who prefers his right foot, standing 1.87 m tall, with the agent 16NinetyTwo.[3](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/cruz-ibeh/profil/spieler/1305648) Sofascore gives his height as 187 cm and his shirt number as 44.[4](https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/cruz-ibeh/1914059)
His date of birth is reported differently across databases: Transfermarkt gives 16 October 2008 (age 17),[3](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/cruz-ibeh/profil/spieler/1305648) the FM26 database gives 6 February 2008,[5](https://database.footballmanagerblog.org/fm26/players/2000506792-cruz-ibeh) and Sofascore gives 26 January 2009.[4](https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/cruz-ibeh/1914059)
## Club career
Ibeh joined Middlesbrough's U18 squad on 1 July 2025, and Transfermarkt records a last contract extension on 17 November 2025.[3](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/cruz-ibeh/profil/spieler/1305648) The FM26 database lists a contract running to 30 June 2029 with a market value of £280,000.[5](https://database.footballmanagerblog.org/fm26/players/2000506792-cruz-ibeh)
**First team.** In the 2025/2026 Championship season Ibeh made 2 league appearances, both as a substitute, without taking the field, and sat on the bench 14 times; in 2026/2027 he had been an unused substitute once.[2](https://theanalyst.com/players/10114/cruz-ibeh/career) He also made one [FA Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fa-cup) appearance in 2025/2026, playing 9 minutes as a substitute, and one League Cup appearance in 2026/2027, again unused on the pitch.[2](https://theanalyst.com/players/10114/cruz-ibeh/career)
**Academy football.** Most of his playing time has come in youth competition. In the U18 Premier League he played 8 matches with 2 goals (1 penalty) in 2024/2025 and 12 matches with 3 goals (1 penalty) and 3 assists in 2025/2026.[2](https://theanalyst.com/players/10114/cruz-ibeh/career) In Premier League 2, the top under-21 development league in England, he scored 3 goals in 5 appearances in 2025/2026 and 4 goals in 4 appearances in 2026/2027.[2](https://theanalyst.com/players/10114/cruz-ibeh/career) In cup competition he scored 3 goals in 3 U18 Premier League Cup matches in 2025/2026 and 2 goals in one National League Cup match in 2026/2027, and played 120 minutes in an [FA Youth Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fa-youth-cup) tie in 2025/2026.[2](https://theanalyst.com/players/10114/cruz-ibeh/career)
## References
1. [Cruz Ibeh, FBref](https://fbref.com/en/players/29317106/Cruz-Ibeh)
2. [Cruz Ibeh Career History, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/10114/cruz-ibeh/career)
3. [Cruz Ibeh, Player profile, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/cruz-ibeh/profil/spieler/1305648)
4. [Cruz Ibeh stats and ratings, Sofascore](https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/cruz-ibeh/1914059)
5. [Cruz Ibeh FM26 Player Profile, FM Blog Database](https://database.footballmanagerblog.org/fm26/players/2000506792-cruz-ibeh)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of the British Isles (modern era) › English footballers 2015–present › Forwards and strikers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license