SOCCER PLAYERS from Ecuador

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Ecuadorean Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous Ecuadorean Soccer Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Ecuadorean Soccer Players.

1. Alberto Spencer (1937 - 2006)

With an HPI of 54.10, Alberto Spencer is the most famous Ecuadorean Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages on wikipedia.

Alberto Pedro Spencer Herrera (6 December 1937 – 3 November 2006) was an Ecuadorian footballer who played as a forward, and is widely regarded as one of the best Ecuadorian footballers of all time He is probably best known for his still-standing record for scoring the most goals in the Copa Libertadores, the most important club tournament in South America. He was elected the 20th best South American footballer of the 20th century in a poll by the IFFHS in 2004. He was known as "Cabeza Mágica" (Spanish for magic head).

2. Antonio Valencia (1985 - )

With an HPI of 48.65, Antonio Valencia is the 2nd most famous Ecuadorean Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 63 different languages.

Luis Antonio Valencia Mosquera, known as Antonio Valencia (Spanish pronunciation: [anˈtonjo βaˈlensja]; born 4 August 1985), is an Ecuadorian former professional footballer who played primarily as a right-sided player throughout his career, initially as a right winger, before developing into a right-back. After progressing through the youth system at El Nacional, Valencia became a first team regular and made over 80 appearances for the club. He won the Ecuadorian Serie A with them before signing for La Liga side Villarreal in 2005. He only made two league appearances for the Spanish side in between loan spells at Recreativo for the 2005–06 season and later English Premier League club Wigan Athletic from 2006 to 2008. Wigan Athletic later signed Valencia on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee in January 2008. His performances for Wigan Athletic soon attracted attention from several high-profile clubs, eventually signing for Manchester United in June 2009. His stint there established him as one of the greatest Ecuadorian players of all time, as Valencia was voted into the PFA Team of the Year in his debut season, spent time as club captain, and went on to win two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups, three FA Community Shields and the UEFA Europa League. In July 2019 Valencia returned to Ecuador, signing with LDU Quito, with whom he won the inaugural Copa Ecuador in his first season. He announced his retirement in May 2021.Valencia made his Ecuador debut in 2004 and has represented his country at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the 2007 Copa América, the 2011 Copa América, the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the Copa América Centenario and the 2019 Copa América. Valencia won 99 caps and scored 11 goals for his country.

3. Enner Valencia (1989 - )

With an HPI of 44.05, Enner Valencia is the 3rd most famous Ecuadorean Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 43 different languages.

Enner Remberto Valencia Lastra (born 4 November 1989) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe and captains the Ecuador national team.He previously played for Emelec in Ecuador, where he won the 2013 Ecuadorian Serie A and was awarded the Copa Sudamericana Golden Boot in 2013. Valencia also played for Pachuca in Mexico, being awarded the Liga MX Golden Boot in the 2014 Clausura tournament. He joined English club West Ham United for an estimated £12 million in July 2014. In August 2016, Valencia went out on loan to Everton for the season, before being sold to Mexican club Tigres UANL in July 2017. At Tigres, he won Liga MX's 2017 Apertura and 2019 Clausura tournaments, and finished runner-up in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League, winning the latter competition's Golden Boot. In August 2020, Valencia signed for Fenerbahçe in Turkey. At the international level, Valencia has earned over 70 caps for Ecuador since his debut in 2012. He represented the nation at the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and 2022, and the Copa América in 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2021. With 38 goals, Valencia is Ecuador's all-time top goalscorer, and holds the record for the most goals scored in the World Cup for Ecuador, with six.

4. Felipe Caicedo (1988 - )

With an HPI of 43.42, Felipe Caicedo is the 4th most famous Ecuadorean Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Felipe Salvador Caicedo Corozo (born 5 September 1988) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Saudi Arabian club Abha. A full international from 2005 to 2017, Caicedo represented Ecuador at the Copa América in 2007 and 2011, as well as at the 2014 World Cup. Caicedo is also Ecuador's sixth highest goalscorer of all-time with 22 goals to his name.

5. Agustín Delgado (1974 - )

With an HPI of 41.72, Agustín Delgado is the 5th most famous Ecuadorean Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Agustín Javier Delgado Chalá (born 23 December 1974) is an Ecuadorian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Nicknamed Tín, he was the all-time top scorer for the Ecuador national team with 31 goals in 71 games before being overtaken by Enner Valencia. Delgado played professional club football in Ecuador, Mexico and England.

6. Iván Hurtado (1974 - )

With an HPI of 40.91, Iván Hurtado is the 6th most famous Ecuadorean Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Iván Jacinto Hurtado Angulo (born 16 August 1974) is an Ecuadorian politician and former professional footballer who played as a centre back. With 168 international appearances for Ecuador between 1992 and 2014, he was the most capped South American male footballer of all time before Lionel Messi overtook him during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the 17th-most-capped male international footballer.

7. Carlos Tenorio (1979 - )

With an HPI of 39.53, Carlos Tenorio is the 7th most famous Ecuadorean Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Carlos Vicente Tenorio Medina (born 14 May 1979) is an Ecuadorian former footballer who last played for Ecuadorian club Atlético Saquisilí. From 2001 to 2009, he represented the Ecuador national football team.

8. Álex Aguinaga (1968 - )

With an HPI of 39.43, Álex Aguinaga is the 8th most famous Ecuadorean Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Álex Dario Aguinaga Garzón (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈaleks aɣiˈnaɣa], born 9 July 1969) is an Ecuadorian former professional football player and manager. A midfielder during his playing career, he is one of the all-time cap leaders for Ecuador with 109 matches, scoring 23 goals. Aguinaga is known as one of the best Ecuadorian footballers of all time. On the club level, Aguinaga has played for Deportivo Quito, Necaxa, Cruz Azul and LDU Quito.

9. Iván Kaviedes (1977 - )

With an HPI of 38.01, Iván Kaviedes is the 9th most famous Ecuadorean Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Jaime Iván Kaviedes Llorenty (born 24 October 1977) is an Ecuadorian former professional footballer who played as a forward.

10. Christian Noboa (1985 - )

With an HPI of 37.33, Christian Noboa is the 10th most famous Ecuadorean Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Christian Fernando Noboa Tello (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkɾistjan noˈβoa]; born 9 April 1985) is an Ecuadorian footballer who plays for Russian Premier League club PFC Sochi and the Ecuador national team as a central midfielder.