Ibáñez's career began in the youth system of Lanús, prior to moving into senior football with Primera B Metropolitana team Comunicaciones in 2015.[3][4] In his fifth appearance, Ibáñez scored his first goal in a 4–2 defeat against Deportivo Merlo on 14 March.[3] Two weeks later, he received his first red card in a 1–1 draw with Almirante Brown on 27 March.[3] In total, he scored fifteen goals across his first two seasons in fifty-four appearances for Comunicaciones.[3]
A year after joining the club, Gimnasia y Esgrima signed Ibáñez permanently after seven goals in thirty matches.[3] He scored two goals in the first match following in a 4–4 draw away to Defensa y Justicia.[3]
Atlético San Luis
Nine appearances later, Ibáñez left Gimnasia y Esgrima in January 2018 as he joined Ascenso MX team Atlético San Luis.[6] He made his Mexican football debut on 19 January, coming on as a substitute for Pablo Olivera in a goalless draw against Tampico Madero.[3] Ibáñez made his 100th league appearance in a loss versus Celaya.[3] Ibañez scored his first goal for them on 20 February, in a 2–0 win against Zacatepec.[7]
After netting seven goals in thirteen games in his first campaign, Ibáñez scored twenty-one times in the subsequent 2018–19 regular season which included a four-goal haul versus Celaya on 2 February 2019.[3][8] He subsequently netted two in six in the play-offs, which the club won after beating Dorados de Sinaloa over two legs to earn a spot in Liga MX while earning them their second consecutive title; he also ended the campaign as the division's top goalscorer.[3][9]
Atlético de Madrid
On 5 June 2019, Atlético de Madrid, who hold an ownership stake in Atlético San Luis, announced the signing of Ibáñez; effective from July.[10] He was immediately loaned back to the Mexican side on 1 July.[11][12]
Atlético San Luis loan
Ibáñez appeared for his Liga MX bow on 20 July 2019 in a home loss to UNAM.[3] He netted in an exhibition match against his parent team on 3 August, putting his side ahead before the La Liga club overturned the deficit to win.[3][13] Ibáñez scored fourteen goals across 2019–20, notably netting braces home and away against León.[3] He made his 200th career appearance on 6 November 2020 against Puebla.[3]
Pachuca
On 2021, he arrived to Pachuca, and became a key player to the Apertura 2022 season Liga MX championship, finishing the regular season as top goal scorer of the League.
^"Firmó Nicolás Ibañez". Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata. 26 August 2016. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
