Giovanny Espinoza facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Giovanny Patricio Espinoza Pabón | ||
| Date of birth | 12 April 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Ibarra, Ecuador | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Central defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Aucas | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1997–2001 | Aucas | 137 | (3) |
| 2001–2002 | Monterrey | 6 | (0) |
| 2002 | Aucas | 24 | (3) |
| 2003–2006 | LDU Quito | 144 | (9) |
| 2007–2008 | Vitesse | 27 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Cruzeiro | 25 | (1) |
| 2009 | Barcelona SC | 15 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Birmingham City | 0 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Unión Española | 32 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Deportivo Quito | 42 | (0) |
| Total | 452 | (16) | |
| National team | |||
| 2000–2009 | Ecuador | 90 | (3) |
|
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Giovanny Patricio Espinoza Pabón (born on April 12, 1977) is a former Ecuadorian footballer. He played as a defender, often in the center of the defense.
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Playing for Clubs
Giovanny Espinoza was known for being strong and fast. These skills helped his old club, LDU Quito, win two league championships in 2001 and 2004. His nickname was La Sombra, which means "the shadow" in Spanish. He got this name because of his very dark skin.
In 2006, during the FIFA World Cup, Giovanny Espinoza was even considered for FIFA's dream team. This team highlights the best players in each position around the world.
Moving to Europe
On January 25, 2007, Giovanny Espinoza moved from LDU Quito to a Dutch club called Vitesse. He signed a contract to play there for about a year and a half.
He played his first game in the Eredivisie (the top Dutch football league) for Vitesse on February 10, 2007, against SC Heerenveen. In the next match, he played at home for the first time. He came into the game as a substitute in the 66th minute. The following season, he became a regular player, starting most games.
Playing in Brazil
On January 14, 2008, Espinoza joined the Brazilian club Cruzeiro. He became the team captain and showed great leadership on the field. He also played very well in many matches.
Back to Ecuador and England
In January 2009, it was confirmed that Espinoza would play for Barcelona Sporting Club in Ecuador. The team's coach, Benito Floro, specifically asked for him to join.
Later in June 2009, there were talks that Espinoza would move to an English team, Birmingham City, which plays in the Premier League. The deal was confirmed on June 24, 2009. He was supposed to play alongside another Ecuadorian player, Christian Benítez.
Giovanny Espinoza was a substitute in a league game against Stoke City in August 2009. Three days later, he played his first game for Birmingham. This was in a League Cup match against Southampton, which Birmingham won 2–1. However, on January 12, 2010, his contract with Birmingham was ended by agreement. He had only played two League Cup games for the club.
Later Career
In 2010, Giovanny Espinoza signed a three-year contract with Unión Española in Chile.
In January 2012, he returned to Ecuador and signed a contract with Deportivo Quito for the 2012 season. This was his final club before retiring.
Playing for His Country
Giovanny Espinoza played for the Ecuador national side. He was part of the team for the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup tournaments.
He is one of the players with the most appearances for his country. He is the seventh highest-capped player for Ecuador, just behind Luis Capurro, who has 100 appearances. Giovanny made his first international appearance in 1996, shortly after his 19th birthday. It was a World Cup qualification match where Ecuador beat Peru 4–1.
Espinoza and another player named Hurtado played together as central defenders for a very long time. They hold a record for playing 65 games together without a break, starting in 1999. This is partly because South American countries play many international qualification matches.
As mentioned before, in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Espinoza was considered for FIFA's ideal team. He also played for Ecuador in the 2001 Copa América, 2004 Copa América, and 2007 Copa América tournaments.
See also
In Spanish: Giovanny Espinoza para niños
