Ecuador announce squad for upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup 2023

Ecuador hosted the competition in 1995

Kendry Paez is without a doubt the most sought-after asset in Ecuadorian youth football at the moment. The 16-year-old, who will grow up to be 18 and sign with Chelsea, could had the opportunity to be included in the Indonesia 2023 squad if he hadn’t been required by the senior national team and Independiente del Valle, the top-level team in Ecuador.

Thankfully, the national U-17 team has other players like Michael Bermudez at their disposal. Scoring four goals in eight games, the centre striker contributed to the La Tri team that placed second in the South American U-17 Championship this year. He is currently signed with LDU Quito, but he has drawn interest from a number of European teams, notably Borussia Dortmund.

“He grew into his role as captain and developed as a leader – both through his on-field actions and his talks to the players,” Diego Martinez, the coach of his national team, said of the young player. He applied his knowledge and is now setting an example for others. He’s a significant and fully developed leader for us now. He possesses good timing, quality, and the ability to finish with a single touch. We all rely on him as a player to get by.”

The footballer summed up his qualities and role in an interview with FIFA by saying:

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“I like to play as striker and finish well, as well as putting my foot on the ball. I enjoy battling with the centre-backs and trying to wind them up. I also like shooting from outside the box and one- and two-touch interplay, as well as making diagonal runs and getting on the end of balls.

“There are things I need to improve, but I have a lot of very good qualities. Sometimes they work but sometimes I say to myself, ‘What have I done now?’. The truth is that sometimes I don’t even know what I’m doing.”

Ecuador squad ahead of FIFA U-17 World Cup 2023

Goalkeepers: Cristhian Loor, Ariel Bao, Josué Méndez

Defenders: Jair Collahuazo, Ivis Davis, Jesús Polo, Elkin Ruiz, Yorkaeff Caicedo, Snaider Demera

Midfielders: Jairo Reyes, Keny Arroyo, Geremy de Jesús, Erick Zambrano, Rooney Troya, Juan Sebastián Rodríguez, Anibal Gómez

Forwards: Michael Bermúdez, Allen Obando, Isaac Sánchez, Santiago Sánchez, Yandri Vásquez

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