FIFA Highlights Most Prominent Players of Ecuador Partaking in World Cup Qatar 2022

Doha, September 07 (QNA) - Ecuador's national team seeks to make victory during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 to be held at the end of this year, where they will play their opening match against the host Qatar, in Group A which also includes the Netherlands. Ecuador's team in the qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in South America defeated Peru, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia and Venezuela teams, When Gustavo Alvaro played a decisive role in this achievement, the new coach was hungry for successes after leaving the Argentine Boca Juniors, as Ecuador reached the round of 16 of Germany 2006 before participating for the last time in Brazil 2014. FIFA in a report today highlighted the most prominent elements of the Ecuadorian national team, to participate in the World Cup, where the report began with the 20-year player Piero Hincapie, a defender who trained in the junior categories of the Independiente del Valle club, the prominent academy in Ecuadorian football, which contributed to the victory of the Ecuador U20 national team in the Copa Libertadores, and then moved to the Argentine city of Cordoba to wear a Talleres shirt, and in one year he became the leader of the team's brilliant defense in local football, and also imposed himself in the back line of Ecuador, becoming one of the stars of the national team in Copa America 2021، his talent attracted the attention of European clubs, so in August 2021, the German club Bayer Leverkusen signed him for USD5.7 million. Hincapie has all the characteristics of a modern heart of defense, as he is able to take the leading role as the first offensive ring thanks to his style, skill, leadership, vision and insight to find spaces behind the opponent's lines, as well as his ability to get rid of the pressure of rivals with accurate passes with his left foot to put his teammates in a suitable position to attack, and he has a great analysis of the game to anticipate or attack the opponent, and thus quickly understands how and when to intervene in each game, and he is also characterized by his ability to correct defensive mistakes that can be unbalanced in light of relying on Pervis Estupinan as one of the leading attack-makers, and in emergency situations, Hincapie always appears with lightning speed to defend on the open field؛ his tremendous physical fitness and ability to rise high allow him to constantly impose himself in the struggle for high balls. The 24-year player Pervis Estupinan, who is in the left-back position, is one of the most prominent elements expected to be on the Ecuador national team's roster at the World Cup, and is one of the most prominent attack makers in his team, after a great season at Villarreal, his offensive breakthroughs were crucial for his team, which made history by beating Juventus and Bayern Munich and reaching the Champions League semi-finals, Estupinan left La Liga Universitaria de Quito in 2016, and to move to Udinese in the Italian league, then Watford in the English Premier League, and then to several teams in Spain. Statistics clearly show his absolute influence on the Ecuadorian squad, he was the player who touched the ball the most in the South American qualifiers, by a wide margin (1119 against 901) compared to his teammate Moises Caicedo, he also created the most chances, with 22 chances in 17 games, scored two goals and gave six assists, and on the defensive level, he also stood out in the tasks of deflecting the ball alongside Carlos Gruezo, although his usual offensive moves could permanently endanger him. Thanks to his physical strength, Estupinan constantly goes up to the attack, showing great endurance running along the side of the field for 90 minutes, and his accuracy in passing enables him to permanently threaten the opponent's defense, however, he can still develop his performance through damage control, minimizing the losses that he can cause to his team when he goes up to the attack, and although he found himself at Villarreal, in the last transfer time he moved to Brighton to join Graham Potter's team in order to compensate for the departure of the Spaniard Marc Cucurella. The FIFA report also touched on the 20-year midfielder Moises Caicedo, who is an essential element in the Ecuador national team, most of the ball passes move through his feet in attack or defense, and the coach has bet on him, since the first match against Argentina in La Bombonera, in the center of the field, along with Alain Franco and in front of Carlos Gruezo, Caicedo was the mind of the Ecuador's team and the it's engine, regardless of the adjustments to the lineup, he left his mark throughout the stadium, 8.86% of his passes were successful, and 3.85% were in the last third of the field, he was the third biggest chance maker, the best passer with four assists, and also scored two goals after appearing as a midfielder, he turned into an integrated player running in the direction of the two areas inside the field, where he contributes to defensive tasks thanks to his sacrifice and ability to run, and also plays a decisive role thanks to his insight in the last third, his skill inside the opponent's penalty area, as well as his sense of scoring. As for the 21-year-striker Gonzalo Plata, the Ecuadorian fans have high hopes for him at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, to cover one of the biggest weaknesses of the Ecuador national team, as he also received his training at the Independiente del Valle school, before moving to the Portuguese Sporting Lisbon in 2019, but he could not gain a foothold in the first team, and left on loan to Valladolid, where he played an important role in his long career in the national teams of Ecuador and winning the Bronze Ball at the U-20 World Cup in 2019, his strong performances strengthen his presence in the starting lineup of the Alvaro Battalion. Although he is still a promising player at the age of 21, Plata has established himself among the European elite thanks to his innate ability to make a difference, he is a very skillful winger and is unstoppable in individual confrontations. Ecuador hopes that this player's sense of scoring will strengthen its chances in the upcoming World Cup. The 32-year-striker Enner Valencia will also be one of the most prominent elements in the Ecuador national team roster, and the Turkish Fenerbahce striker, who will compete in the World Cup as part of a team full of young players, he was the most prominent star for Ecuador in its last participation in the World Cup, where he beat the nets of both Switzerland and Honduras, and this year he will face one of the biggest challenges in Alvaro's lineup; he will have to play a dual role as captain by leading his new teammates in tournaments, and being careful to ensure his goal share, and in the absence reliable alternatives to turn the chances into goals, Valencia will hold a heavy responsibility at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. (QNA)