33·Legends

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Ecuador

The thirty-three greatest. Build your eleven, then settle the duels.

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The 33 of Ecuador

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89 Alberto Spencer 11 caps · 4 goals · Club Deportivo Everest, Club Atlético PeñarolFifty-four goals in the Copa Libertadores between 1960 and 1972, a total nobody has approached since, and Peñarol's crowd called him Cabeza Mágica for the way he arrived on crosses. Three Libertadores titles in 1960, 1961 and 1966, two Intercontinental Cups against the European champions, eight Uruguayan league titles, and caps for both Ecuador and Uruguay, for whom he scored at Wembley. ST1960–72

87 Antonio Valencia 99 caps · 11 goals · Club Deportivo El Nacional, Wigan AthleticManchester United handed him the number 7 shirt in July 2012; he wore it for a single season, asked for 25 back, and six years later took the armband as the club's first Ecuadorian captain. Two Premier League titles, the 2016-17 Europa League, the 2016 FA Cup, two League Cups, a Champions League final in 2011, Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year for 2011-12, and 99 caps for Ecuador at two World Cups. CM2011–16

3 WP 87 Willian Pacho 32 caps · Royal Antwerp, Eintracht FrankfurtIn the Munich final on 31 May 2025 he beat Nicolò Barella to a ball rolling towards the corner flag and cleared long, and PSG turned that clearance into their second goal in a 5-0 win over Inter. Pacho is the first Ecuadorian to win the European Cup and now has two, in 2025 and 2026, plus Ligue 1 in both seasons, the Coupe de France and a Belgian double with Royal Antwerp. CB2020–2026

4 ÁA 86 Álex Aguinaga 109 caps · 23 goals · S.D. Quito, Club NecaxaHe supplied the pass for Iván Kaviedes' goal that clinched Ecuador's first World Cup qualification, one moment from fourteen years and 476 games at Necaxa, a club that has since retired his number 7. Three Mexican league titles with Necaxa, the 1999 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, the 1995 Copa México, third place at the 2000 Club World Championship, and 109 caps with 23 goals for Ecuador between 1987 and 2004. CM1987–2004

5 EV 85 Enner Valencia 105 caps · 49 goals · Club Sport Emelec, Tigres UANLQatar 2022 opened with him scoring both goals of the tournament's first match against the hosts, a penalty and then a header. Ecuador's all-time leading scorer with 49 goals in 109 caps, record scorer for his country at World Cups with six across 2014 and 2022, two Liga MX titles with Tigres in 2017 and 2019, the Turkish Cup with Fenerbahçe, and the Süper Lig golden boot with 29 goals in 2022-23. SS2014–22

6 IH 84 Iván Hurtado 168 caps · Club Sport Emelec, Atlético CelayaSouth America's caps record belonged to him until Lionel Messi passed it in December 2022, 168 games for Ecuador between 1992 and 2014 by a defender known as Bam Bam for the power in his kicking. Serie A titles with Emelec in 1993 and 1994, the Colombian championship with Atlético Nacional in 2007, six Copa Américas, and both of Ecuador's first two World Cups, wearing the armband in Germany in 2006. CB1992–2022

7 AD 83 Agustín Delgado 71 caps · 31 goals · Club Deportivo El Nacional, Club NecaxaFive minutes into the game against Mexico in Miyagi on 9 June 2002, El Tín scored the first World Cup goal in Ecuador's history. Thirty-one goals in 72 caps stood as Ecuador's record until Enner Valencia passed it, and he was in the LDU Quito squad that won the 2008 Copa Libertadores, with league titles at Barcelona SC in 1995 and 1997 and El Nacional in 1996. ST1995–2008

83 Edison Méndez 111 caps · 18 goals · S.D. Quito, Liga Deportiva Universitaria de QuitoHis goal against Croatia in Yokohama on 13 June 2002 gave Ecuador the first World Cup win in their history, and in 2007 he became the first Ecuadorian to score in the Champions League, against Arsenal. Two Eredivisie titles with PSV, the 2009 Copa Sudamericana with LDU Quito, Ecuadorian league titles in 2005 and 2010, 111 caps and 18 goals, and the first Ecuadorian to appear at three World Cups. CM2002–10

9 JF 83 José Francisco Cevallos Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito, Barcelona S.C.In the Maracanã on 2 July 2008, with the final level at 5-5 on aggregate, he saved from Darío Conca, Thiago Neves and Washington to win LDU Quito the Copa Libertadores. That was the first Copa Libertadores won by an Ecuadorian club, and he added the 2009 Copa Sudamericana, Recopas in 2009 and 2010, three league titles with Barcelona SC, the award as South America's best goalkeeper, and 89 caps including the 2002 World Cup. GK2002–10

83 Pervis Estupiñán 50 caps · Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito, Villarreal CFMilan waited until 8 March 2026 for his first Serie A goal, and it came in the derby against Inter to settle the match 1-0. Before that he was Villarreal's left-back through the 2021 Europa League run that finished with Manchester United beaten on penalties in Gdansk, and he has since travelled to World Cups in 2022 and 2026 with 56 caps behind him. LB2021–26

83 Walter Ayoví 121 caps · Barcelona S.C., Club Deportivo El NacionalTwo of Ecuador's three goals at the 2014 World Cup came off his left boot, both free kicks that Enner Valencia headed in, first against Switzerland and then against Honduras. His record holds three Ecuadorian titles, with Emelec in 2001 and 2002 and El Nacional in 2006, two Mexican championships, and three straight CONCACAF Champions League titles at Monterrey from 2011 to 2013, across 121 caps. LB2001–14

12 ÁM 82 Ángel Mena Club Sport Emelec, C.D. CuencaLeón got a centre-forward's return out of a right winger, 70 league goals in 187 games and the Liga MX Golden Boot in the Clausura of 2019. He won the Mexican title with León in Guardianes 2020, the CONCACAF Champions League in 2023 and the Leagues Cup in 2021 as its top scorer, after three consecutive Ecuadorian titles with Emelec from 2013 to 2015. RM2013–23

82 Christian Noboa 83 caps · 4 goals · Club Sport Emelec, Rubin KazanCaptaining Rubin Kazan against Barcelona on 29 September 2010, he converted the penalty that earned a 1-1 draw. Three Russian league titles followed, two with Rubin in 2008 and 2009 and one with Zenit in 2019, along with a Russian Super Cup, the league's best player award in 2021-22 and 83 caps for Ecuador. CM2008–21

14 JI 82 Jaime Iván Kaviedes 57 caps · 17 goals · Club Sport Emelec, Real ValladolidAt the 2006 World Cup he closed out a 3-0 win over Costa Rica and pulled a yellow Spider-Man mask over his face, the celebration that belonged to Otilino Tenorio, killed in a car crash the year before. He scored 43 goals for Emelec in the 1998 season, a total that carried him to Perugia for four million dollars, and he finished with 17 in 57 caps across the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. SS1998–2006

82 Jefferson Montero 64 caps · 10 goals · Independiente del Valle, Club Atlético MoreliaHis first competitive minutes for Swansea came at Old Trafford on 16 August 2014, on for Nathan Dyer after 67 minutes of a 2-1 win over Manchester United. He went to the 2014 World Cup, won the Copa MX with Morelia in the Apertura of 2013 and took Pan American gold with Ecuador's under-20s in 2007, finishing with 10 goals in 64 caps. LM2007–14

82 Piero Hincapié 50 caps · Talleres de Córdoba, Bayer 04 LeverkusenEcuador handed him a debut against Colombia at the 2021 Copa América when he was 19, and by 22 he was the left-sided centre-back in the Bayer Leverkusen team that went through the 2023-24 Bundesliga without losing a match. That season brought the league and the DFB-Pokal, the 2025-26 Premier League followed with Arsenal, and between them came a place in the 2024 Copa América Team of the Tournament and World Cups in 2022 and 2026. CB2021–26

17 Ud 82 Ulises de la Cruz 101 caps · S.D. Quito, Liga Deportiva Universitaria de QuitoRoughly a tenth of every wage packet went home to Piquiucho, the village in Carchi where he was born, paying for a water treatment plant, a health centre and a sports ground. 101 caps, both of Ecuador's first two World Cups and the run to the last 16 in 2006, the 2009 Copa Sudamericana and back-to-back Recopas with LDU Quito, and three Ecuadorian league titles in 1998, 1999 and 2010. RB1998–2010

18 CT 81 Carlos Tenorio 51 caps · 12 goals · Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito, Al Sadd Sports ClubEcuador called him Demoledor, and in Germany he delivered twice: 24 minutes into the opener against Poland on 9 June 2006, then inside eight minutes against Costa Rica six days later to carry the country into the last 16 for the first time. Two World Cups, 12 international goals, the Ecuadorian title with LDU Quito in 2003, three Qatar Stars League titles with Al-Sadd, and the Qatari golden boot in 2006 with 21 league goals. ST2003–06

81 Damián Díaz Club Atlético Rosario Central, Barcelona S.C.Guayaquil calls him Kitu, and in May 2021 he took Santos apart in the Copa Libertadores, scoring twice in a 3-1 win and taking the man of the match award. Three Ecuadorian titles with Barcelona SC in 2012, 2016 and 2020, the league's Golden Ball in 2016, an Argentine Apertura with Boca Juniors in 2008 and a Chilean championship with Universidad Católica in 2010 sit behind 225 appearances in his second spell at Barcelona. CAM2008–21

20 GE 81 Giovanny Espinoza 90 caps · Sociedad Deportiva Aucas, Liga Deportiva Universitaria de QuitoLa Sombra, the shadow, spent 65 consecutive Ecuador matches beside Iván Hurtado, a run stretching back to 1999 and the longest unbroken centre-back pairing international football has recorded. Ninety caps, two World Cups, and a place on the shortlist for FIFA's team of the 2006 tournament, where Ecuador reached the last 16; two Ecuadorian league titles with LDU Quito, then spells at Cruzeiro and Vitesse. CB1999–2006

21 SC 81 Segundo Castillo He was 24 in Germany and did not miss a minute of Ecuador's 2006 World Cup, four matches from the opening win over Poland to the second-round defeat by England in Stuttgart. Eighty-seven caps and nine goals for Ecuador between 2003 and 2016, the Serbian league and cup double with Red Star Belgrade in 2006-07, an FA Cup runners-up medal at Everton in 2009, and later the manager's job at Barcelona SC. CDM2003–16

22 AD 80 Alexander Domínguez 67 caps · Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito, Club Atlético ColónOn 25 June 2014 at the Maracanã he shut out France for ninety minutes and took the man of the match award, the one group game France failed to score in. LDU Quito supporters call him Dida, and he has repaid them with the Copa Sudamericana in 2009 and 2023, the Recopa in 2009 and 2010, four Ecuadorian league titles across two spells, and thirteen years in the national team goal. GK2009–23

23 EH 80 Eduardo Hurtado 74 caps · 26 goals · Club Sport Emelec, New York Red BullsFive minutes into the first MLS Cup, played at Foxboro on 20 October 1996 in the tail of a nor'easter, El Tanque rose to Mauricio Cienfuegos's cross and headed the Galaxy in front. He scored 26 goals in 74 games for Ecuador, which left him third on their all time scoring list, finished the 1996 MLS season with 21 goals and a place in the Best XI, and played the Copa América of 1993, 1995 and 1997. ST1993–97

24 GP 80 Gonzalo Plata Sporting CP, Independiente del ValleAt MetLife Stadium on 25 June 2026 he struck the goal that beat Germany 2-1 and carried his country out of the group stage, his ninth goal for Ecuador. The Copa Libertadores and Brasileirão double with Flamengo in 2025 sits above the 2024 Copa do Brasil, the 2020-21 Primeira Liga title at Sporting, and the Bronze Ball he took from Ecuador's third place at the 2019 Under-20 World Cup. RM2019–26

25 MB 80 Miller Bolaños Barcelona S.C., Liga Deportiva Universitaria de QuitoEmelec supporters turned Miller into Killer, and in 2015 he earned it, finishing the Ecuadorian season on 25 league goals and topping the Copa Sudamericana scoring charts for the second year running. He took four Ecuadorian titles, one with LDU Quito in 2010 and three at Emelec from 2013 to 2015, plus the 2009 Copa Sudamericana, back to back Recopas, the 2016 Copa do Brasil with Grêmio, and Serie A player of the year in 2014 and 2015. CAM2009–16

79 Carlos Gruezo Independiente del Valle, Barcelona S.C.Ecuador handed him a debut off the bench against the Netherlands on 17 May 2014, when he was eighteen, and took him to the World Cup in Brazil a month later. He went to two World Cups, 2014 and 2022, passed 60 caps holding the space in front of the back four, took the Ecuadorian title with Barcelona SC in 2012, and added the Supporters' Shield and the US Open Cup with FC Dallas in 2016. CDM2012–22

79 Frickson Erazo 64 caps · Club Deportivo El Nacional, Barcelona S.C.The night of 8 October 2015 at El Monumental belongs to him: his goal opened the scoring in a 2-0 win over Argentina, Ecuador's first match of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. He played at the 2014 World Cup and won 64 caps, took the 2012 Ecuadorian title that ended Barcelona SC's wait since 1997, and added the Campeonato Carioca with Flamengo in 2014 and the Mineiro with Atlético in 2017. CB1997–2018

28 NR 79 Néicer Reasco 54 caps · Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito, Newell's Old BoysAged 38, he lined up for LDU Quito alongside his 17 year old son Djorkaeff on 12 November 2016, closing a career that had begun at the same club in 1997. He won five Ecuadorian league titles with LDU Quito and back to back Brasileirão crowns at São Paulo in 2006 and 2007, then the 2009 Copa Sudamericana, the Recopa in 2009 and 2010, and 57 Ecuador caps taking in the 2006 World Cup last 16. RB1997–2016

29 AO 78 Alfonso Obregón 58 caps · Club Deportivo ESPOLI, Liga Deportiva Universitaria de QuitoHe played 58 times for Ecuador between 1995 and 2004 and never scored once, which was roughly the point of him, and he carried the LDU Quito captain's armband for years before handing it to Patricio Urrutia. He was in the LDU side that won the 2008 Copa Libertadores, the first Ecuadorian club to take it, won five Ecuadorian league titles between 1998 and 2007, and went to the 2002 World Cup. CDM1995–2008

30 JG 78 José Gavica 34 caps · 4 goals · Barcelona S.C., Club Deportivo El NacionalFourteen years separated his first Ecuadorian title with Barcelona SC from his fourth, taken at El Nacional in 2005, and in between Guayaquil came to rate him among the best number tens the club has had. Three championships came in yellow, in 1991, 1995 and 1997, and he won 34 caps for Ecuador with four goals, playing at the Copa América in 1993 and 1997. CAM1991–2005

31 LB 78 Luis Bolaños 11 caps · 0 goals · Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito, Club Social y Deportivo MacaráHis free kick in the 26th minute against Pachuca on 17 December 2008 put Liga de Quito into the Club World Cup final, four days before Wayne Rooney settled it for Manchester United. Chucho had already taken the 2008 Copa Libertadores with that side, the only Ecuadorian club to win it, and two Ecuadorian league titles in 2003 and 2007, with twelve caps for Ecuador along the way. LM2003–08

32 LC 78 Luis Capurro 100 caps · Club Deportivo Filanbanco, Barcelona S.C.His moustache did nearly as much as his defending to make him a face people knew across South America, and he was in Ecuador's Copa América squads from 1987 through 1997, finishing with 100 caps. Ecuador came fourth at the 1993 Copa América on home soil with him in the back line, and he won the Ecuadorian title twice, with Emelec in 1994 and Barcelona SC in 1997. CB1987–97

33 GC 77 Geovanny Caicedo Barcelona S.C., S.D. QuitoEcuadorian football knew the 1.88-metre centre-half from Esmeraldas as Cuchara, a name that followed him through Barcelona SC, Emelec, El Nacional and one season with Toronto FC in 2012. The Serie A title he won with Deportivo Quito in 2009 stands as his major honour, alongside nine caps for Ecuador from his debut in 2004 and a playing career that ran until 2018. CB2004–18

About this XI

The three highest rated names in Ecuador's pool are Alberto Spencer, Antonio Valencia and Willian Pacho. The 33 covers 2 goalkeepers, 11 defenders, 14 midfielders and 6 forwards. Alberto Spencer leads the pool at 89 overall. Pick a formation, drag your eleven onto the pitch, then settle the duels below. Your votes reorder the people's ranking of these 33 in real time.

Left out, and why

A 33 is a set of decisions, and these are the players who lost their place in the last revision of Ecuador's list. Every one of them has a case.

Jacinto EspinozaRated 77 in the almanac. The place went to Willian Pacho.

Disagree? That is the point. Settle it in the duels above.

Who is the greatest Ecuador footballer of all time?

In the 33 Legends editorial ranking, Alberto Spencer leads Ecuador with an overall rating of 89. The editorial top five: Alberto Spencer, Antonio Valencia, Willian Pacho, Álex Aguinaga, Enner Valencia. The people's ranking on this page moves with every duel vote and can disagree.

How were these 33 Ecuador players chosen?

The pool covers every position across Ecuador's football history. Ratings weigh peak level, longevity, honours and historical standing, then the full methodology page explains the tiers. Fan votes in the duels build a second, independent ranking.

Which Ecuador players reach the Immortal tier or higher?

None yet. Alberto Spencer leads the Ecuador pool at 89, in the Legend tier.

Can I build and share my own Ecuador all-time XI?

Yes. Pick one of eight formations, drag any of the 33 onto the pitch, and export your lineup as a PNG. There is no account and no sign-up.