Ion "Bebe" Barbu (24 December 1938 – 2 May 2011) was a Romanian international football defender who played for clubs in Romania and Turkey.

Ion Barbu also known as "Bebe" was born on 24 December 1938 in Craiova, Romania, starting to play football in 1954 at local club, Locomotiva.

[1] In the 1964–65 Cupa României edition, the team reached the final, however coach Virgil Mărdărescu did not use him in the eventual 2–1 loss in front of Știința Cluj.

[1][6][7][8] For the way he played in 1968, Barbu was placed fifth in the ranking for the Romanian Footballer of the Year award, that being the same position as Argeș teammate, Narcis Coman.

[1][2][11][12] After his spell in Turkey, Barbu wanted to come back to play for Argeș, going with the team in a cantonment but coach Titus Ozon told him that his services are no longer needed.

[1][4] Ion Barbu played seven games at international level for Romania, making his debut in a friendly which took place on 17 November 1966, coach Ilie Oană using him all the minutes in the 4–3 home victory with Poland.

[15][4][18] After he ended his playing career, Barbu coached Muscelul Câmpulung and Metalurgistul Cugir in the Romanian lower leagues.