Although it is repeatedly mentioned that there is a “golden generation” of footballers in Ecuador, and that the national team benefits the most from this, there is no young element in the attack that can replace the 34-year-old Enner Valencia with the efficiency generally shown by the striker Esmeralda from Inter de Porto Alegre , a member of the ideal eleven of the Copa Libertadores in the 2023 edition.

There is no renewal in the position of goalkeeper either. Alexander Domínguez and Hernán Galíndez are both 36 years old. Although Moisés Ramírez, the 23-year-old goalkeeper of Independiente del Valle, Félix Sánchez Bas once made him the starter of the Tricolor, the goalkeeper of Guayaquil did not establish himself as the absolute owner of the goal and substitution, in the same game, erratic actions with other notables.

Galíndez is naturalized (he is a native of Argentina) and, as soon as the opportunity arose to include another goalkeeper who was not born in Ecuador, the Spanish coach did not miss it. Due to the injury, Ramírez will not be considered for the qualifiers against Venezuela and Chile (next on November 16 and 21, respectively). To complete the number of three goalkeepers on the list, Javier Burrai, from Barcelona SC, was chosen. He is also naturalized, he is 33 years old.

This is the number of nationalized shooters that arrived in La Tri.

1. Helio Carreiro da Silva (Helinho)

Brazilian goalkeeper who played for Barcelona SC. On October 12, 1965, in Lima, he saved his first official match with the Ecuadorian team. It was against Chile, the match that decided who qualified for the World Cup in England in 1966. The Chileans won 2-1. Helinho blocked twice against Paraguay, on December 21, 1966 in Guayaquil (2-2) and on December 28, 1966 in Asunción (3-1 loss). There were two matches in the preliminary round of the Copa América in 1967. La Tri did not qualify. They gave him a nickname Flying fish.

2. Edward Born Garcia

The legendary Uruguayan goalkeeper made his career in Ecuador only with Emelec. He became an Ecuadorian citizen in 1975 and was part of Tricolor, for which he played in the World Cup qualifiers in Argentina in 1978. He defended the national team’s goal in only two matches (one of which was a friendly).

3. Pedro Latino

Argentinian goalkeeper who played for Guayaquil Sport, Unión Deportiva Valdez, Audaz Octubrino, Deportivo Quito and Filanbanco. He arrived in Ecuador in 1973, at the age of 20, and received Ecuadorian citizenship in 1984. He made his debut for the national team on December 7, 1984 in Tegucigalpa, in a 0-0 draw with Honduras. He defended the national goal six times, including one in the qualifiers for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico (2-0 loss to Uruguay, in Quito).

4. Javier Klimowicz

Argentine born goalkeeper who arrived in 2004 from Bolivian football to have brilliant campaigns at Deportivo Cuenca. From 2009 to 2015, he was in Emelec, where injuries punished him excessively. He received Ecuadorian naturalization in 2007. He saved twice with Tricolor. He played his first official match in June 2007 against Peru, in a friendly match in Spain.

5. Marcelo Elizaga

Argentinian goalkeeper who arrived in the country in 2005 in Emelec. It was electric, great, until 2010; In 2011, he left Deportivo Quito. He became an Ecuadorian citizen in 2007, and he played his first match for the national team on May 23, 2007 against Ireland. He saved in the Copa América editions in Venezuela 2007 and Argentina 2011, and also in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers in South Africa (he saved Carlos Tévez’s penalty in a 2-0 win over Argentina in Quito in 2009). He defended the Tricolor fence 19 times (he is the nationalized goalkeeper with the most matches with Ecuador).

6. Stephen Dreer

He was born in Argentina in 1981, signed for Deportivo Cuenca in 2009, and in February 2012, recently hired by Emelec, he received Ecuadorian citizenship. Between 2015 and 2017, he saved ten times with the national team (seven were for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, two friendlies and one for the Copa América Centenario, 0-0 with Brazil).

7. Hernán Galindez

The goalkeeper is Ecuadorian by naturalization since 2019, although he came to the country in 2012 hired by Universidad Católica. Between 2020 and 2023, the one born in Argentina will make 18 appearances for the national team divided in this way: eight for the qualifiers (those for the 2022 World Cup and the ongoing one, heading towards the 2026 championship), four friendlies, three at Copa América and three in Qatar in 2022 (Galíndez holds the record: he is the only nationalized goalkeeper to play at the World Cup for Ecuador).

Azcona, on the bench

Absent from the list of goalkeepers who have seen action is Azcona, who despite being called up between 16 March 2015 and 11 November 2016, never made his debut as a goalkeeper for Ecuador. He remained on the bench in fourteen games, including friendlies, qualifiers and the Copa América (according to the specialized portal Transfermarkt).

Azona’s first call-up was made by Gustavo Quinteros, as part of the 25-man call-up list for the first two friendlies of the Argentina coach’s cycle, against Mexico and Argentina (March 28 and 31, 2015) in the United States. Azcona (then 31), a Paraguayan Ecuadorian, played for Independiente del Valle. (D)