Failures of millionaires: Why Fernando Gaibor, Ayrton Preciado, Jordy Caicedo, Jefferson Orejuela and other promises failed abroad?

What word would be used in the national media to describe the performance of a foreign midfielder or striker who, signed for Barcelona SC, Emelec or Liga de Quito, for a few million dollars, suddenly played on his own, never gave up and did not score goals? Surely a failure. So, for example, the Argentinian Rolando Zárate was justly called, from his disastrous stay as a canary (he was worth 3.5 million dollars between the passage and the payment of claims).

Why doesn’t Fernando Gaibor have a team? They put up with nonsense, says the leaflet of those who claim that they are asking for a lot of money

according to Spanish dictionary, in its first meaning failure means “a failure, an unfavorable result of a company or business”. Also “a sad, unexpected and fatal event”. And also, “the fall or ruin of something with a crash and a breaking.” Recently, Ecuadorian soccer has exported several soccer players to Europe and American countries for figures that were considered millionaires by the financial standards of the market there and set record numbers.

FIFA rules in favor of Fernando Gaibor with millions in damages

exceptions

And although most of those transferred seemed like promises, almost all of them were fiascos – synonymous with failure – abroad. Very few of those who left had strong, successful and long careers abroad. Notable exceptions are Antonio Valencia, Christian Noboa, Enner Valencia and Ángel Mena. Moisés Caicedo, with a significant presence in the Premier League, has only just begun his career.

Independiente de Avellaneda to seek talks with Fernando Gaibor over “million dollar damages” after FIFA rules in Barcelona SC player’s favor

Although there is an internal disclaimer on the use of the term failure when it comes to the tricolors, this number of players with a proven reputation for quality through their performances in the national teams – brilliant, in certain cases -, who brought high revenues to their clubs thanks to the sale of their rights, but who disappointed outside of Ecuador, was made as a result of FIFA’s ruling in favor of Fernando Gaibor. Independiente de Avellaneda must pay him $2,394,000, plus 5% annual interest. He will win financially, but did Gaibor fail in sportsmanship in the famous King of Cups?

Gaibor, a ‘strange figure’

It was said about the 31-year-old footballer today: “He generated football from a clairvoyant reading of the game and the owner of a fantastic shot due to precision and technique.” Midfielder with excellent passing”. Gaibor was a promise and a reality in Emelec as a key element in winning the title in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017. However, he never settled in the national team.

Clarion, from Buenos Aires, announced this last Friday: “The Ecuadorian, who never finished playing for Independiente, arrived in 2018 in the hands of Ariel Holano in exchange for 4.2 million dollars. In total, he played 39 games for the red jersey and scored four goals. In the meantime, he was loaned to Al Wasl from the United Arab Emirates. After being released from Independiente, he continued his career in his country: Guayaquil City, Independiente del Valle and now Barcelona”.

In that newspaper, the editor Nahuel Lanzillotta wrote in October 2018 that Gaibor “underwent a sporting and social adaptation. In his early days in Buenos Aires, he was a victim of discrimination and it affected him (…). Over time, he became part of the team and got to know the intensity of Argentine football, which is very different from Ecuadorian football.”

Gaibor could not show in Argentina what he exhibited in Emelec. However, it is in the history of Independiente as the most expensive signing in the history of the club from Avellaneda. the newspaper ole In January 2018, he said: “For 70% of its passage, the Order will pay $4,200,000, an insane figure.”

Ayrton Preciado, ‘revolutionary’

He had an outstanding season in 2017 with Emelec. He was the champion and formed a devastating attacking duo with Bryan Coward Angle. And for “approximately 8 million dollars, Ayrton Preciado ceased to be an Emelec player, when his transfer to Santos Laguna from Mexican football became official. The figure was published by the Mexican press. It is the biggest transfer in the era of Nassib Neme,” EL UNIVERSO reported on July 23, 2018.

But… since his arrival, Preciado has only played 57 games with those from Torreón (he cost $140,350 for each game). He scored ten goals and four assists for a goal. The man from Esmeralda, whose contract has already been terminated, has, to say the least, “revolutionized” soccer in Mexico. “Exactly because of this case, the Ecuadorian Santos changed the way of negotiations regarding reinforcements, now he is looking for more loan negotiations and is not buying for the first time. Preciado had influence, that’s the way to make contracts,” said Dante Elizalde, president of the Aztec club.

Jordy Caicedo, among the worst

Another million dollar signing for a player from Ecuador was made by Machaleño. According to various versions, CSKA from Sofia transferred Machaleño striker for 4.4 million dollars to Tigres, from Monterrey. The forward forced his departure from Bulgaria, where he was voted the best foreign player of the 2021 season (in a poll of 112 journalists) and was the top scorer for his team.

In Mexico, the Ecuadorian Caicedo, who scored only one goal for Tigres, is considered one of the worst foreigners in the history of the university club. Here the journalism sector grumbled: “the Mexican press is poisonous, I can’t say that.” The Ecuadorian never fails and if he is criticized, the defense mechanisms are armed: “Mexican journalism is nationalistic”, “in Brazil the press has no patience”, “Argentinian journalism presses too much”, “the Spanish press takes too long.”

‘Cuco’ Angulo, ‘crazy’

In August 2019, Bryan Angulo He was transferred to Cruz Azul for an amount that Emelec’s management considered “irrefutable” and “insane”: $6 million. It paid off for the striker, the ultimate electric star at the national coronation in 2017. Due to his extraordinary strength and scoring ability, he was betting on incredible success in Mexico.

He won the title with Cruz Azul, but there the tricolors collected more reproaches from the press and angry whistles from the fans than goals. In 2018, he scored 31 for Emelec, but adding attacking moves via Cruz Azul, Xolos and Santos of Brazil (where he also failed) does not complete a similar offensive record. Today, Angulo returned to the club where he was the best, Emelec.

José Angulo, against himself

In August 2016, Spain’s Granada bought 70% of the sporting rights of José Angulo for $5 million, who was a fixture at Independiente de Valle, that year’s Copa Libertadores runners-up, but the Ecuadorian was not wearing a shirt with his new club after the day of the official launch.

Granada withdrew when Conmebol suspended Tin Angulo tested positive for cocaine use. FIFA appealed the length of the sentence, and TAS overturned the original sentence and replaced it with another of four years, starting on 20 July 2016. Angulo tried himself.

Marlon de Jesus, three goals

In September 2013, Emelec made a big deal: it sold to Monterrey, “definitely”, the sports rights of Marlon de Jesús for 3.6 million dollars. The attacker was 21 years old. Ibarreño made three notes in the Northern Mexico team. It was another failure of the tricolor that appeared as a promise in El Nacional. De Jesús never flew according to what he insinuated in football.

Marcos Caicedo, $4 million

As a 22-year-old star, in May 2014, Emelec agreed with the León club to transfer Marcos Caicedo for $4 million. That, at the time, was a promise. But Caicedo was a complete disappointment in Mexico: three assists and just one goal with those of Guanajuato; no goals with Mineros de Zacatecas, but seven assists; as Dorados de Sinaloa one goal in 20 games (according to the Transfermarkt portal).

Jefferson’s auricle, isolated

The man from Esmeralda gained recognition with Independiente del Valle, a finalist in the Copa Libertadores in 2016. He was already 23 years old when he was called “the promise”. He received exaggerated praise from one sector of the press despite basing his game as a midfielder on passing the ball sideways or backwards: “He’s crying out for a call-up to the Tricolor,” “the choice is Jefferson Orejuel and ten more,” it said.

But abroad did not work. Fluminense signed him and in December 2017 he was already in trouble. Globe Sports announced: “He ended up isolated from the group due to his lack of commitment. After Fla-Flu (a classic that Flamengo won 1-0, in the Copa Sudamericana), when the midfielder was severely scolded by some teammates in the dressing room, and physical aggression also comes into play. Orejuela seemed to care little about the loss. The annoyance with the Ecuadorian has been going on for some time. There is a strong indication that Orejuela’s environment with the rest of the cast is not one of the best: he is not part of the players’ WhatsApp group. In 2020, Querétaro lost their fifth game.

More examples

There are more cases of Ecuadorians who excelled at the domestic level, but showed very little abroad. Miler Bolaños was sent to Gremio de Porto Alegre from Emelec for $5.5 million, but his career in Brazil was short and discreet. Independiente del Valle received $2.4 million for defender Arturo Mina in August 2016, but River Plate got rid of the tricolor in July 2017 due to poor performance. In 2016, Barcelona transferred Andersson Ordóñez for $1.1 million to Eintracht Frankfurt, where he played just four games in the Bundesliga, none of them complete. (D)