Iván Hurtado facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Iván Hurtado

Hurtado in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Iván Jacinto Hurtado Angulo
Date of birth	(1974-08-16) 16 August 1974 (age 50)
Place of birth	Esmeraldas, Ecuador
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Centre back, Sweeper
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1992–1996	Emelec	102	(10)
1996–1999	Celaya	89	(2)
1999–2001	Tigres	79	(0)
2001	Emelec	14	(1)
2001–2002	Querétaro	18	(0)
2002–2004	Barcelona SC	57	(2)
2004	Murcia	15	(0)
2004–2005	Pachuca	26	(0)
2005–2006	Al Arabi	13	(3)
2006	Al-Ahly	0	(0)
2007	Atlético Nacional	38	(1)
2008	Barcelona SC	17	(0)
2008–2009	Millonarios	26	(2)
2009–2010	Deportivo Quito	49	(0)
2011	Barcelona SC	41	(0)
2012	Grecia	11	(1)
2015	Deportivo Echeandía
Total		595	(22)
International career
1992–2014	Ecuador	168	(5)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Iván Jacinto Hurtado Angulo (born August 16, 1974) is a famous Ecuadorian politician and former professional football player. He played as a centre back or sweeper, which are defensive positions in football.

Iván Hurtado played in six Copa América tournaments and two FIFA World Cups. He played 168 games for the Ecuador between 1992 and 2014. This makes him one of Ecuador's best players ever. He was also the South American male footballer with the most international games until Lionel Messi broke his record in 2022. He is also the 17th-most-capped male international footballer in the world.

After his football career, Hurtado entered politics in 2013. He was elected to the National Assembly as a member of the PAIS Alliance party.

Iván Hurtado's Football Journey

Iván Hurtado started his football career at age 16 with a small club in his hometown, Esmeraldas Petrolero. A year later, he moved to Emelec, one of Ecuador's biggest clubs. He had two amazing seasons there, winning two championships. In one of these, he even scored the winning goal from a free kick!

Playing in Mexico and Spain

His excellent play earned him a move to the Mexican leagues. There, he became even better at defending and understanding the game. Iván made a big impact at his first Mexican club, Celaya, helping them reach the Mexican league finals. He then played for Tigres. Later, he moved to Spain to play for Real Murcia in La Liga.

After a good time with Pachuca in Mexico's top league, he moved to Al Arabi in Qatar. He impressed many people there with his skills.

Later Club Career Highlights

After the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, where Hurtado played really well, there were rumors that big clubs like Premier League's Wigan Athletic and Spanish clubs Recreativo Huelva and Villarreal were interested in him. But those were just rumors.

After six more months with Al Arabi, Hurtado moved to Colombia. He played for Atlético Nacional, where he led the team's defense and became captain. He helped them win titles two years in a row in 2007. In 2009, he returned to Deportivo Quito.

In 2011, he played for Barcelona SC for a year. He then finished his career with Grecia in 2012.

Iván Hurtado's International Career

Iván Hurtado played his first game for the Ecuadorian national team on May 24, 1992. It was a friendly match against Guatemala in Guatemala City. The game ended 1-1, and Hurtado gave away a penalty kick. He was only 17 years and 285 days old, making him the youngest player ever to play for Ecuador.

World Cup Success

Hurtado was a key player who helped Ecuador qualify for their first-ever FIFA World Cup in 2002. He played so well in that tournament that he was chosen to be the captain of the Ecuadorian team, taking over from former star Alex Aguinaga.

His best performances came during Ecuador's amazing run in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. His strong defense made it very hard for star players from other teams to score goals. However, his performance dropped a bit in the following months. He still played for Ecuador in the 2007 Copa América. Many people in Ecuador criticized his play there, saying it was a main reason for the team's early exit.

Breaking Records

On September 10, 2007, Hurtado played his 143rd international game in a friendly against El Salvador. This made him the South American footballer with the most international games ever, passing Cafu's record of 142 games for Brazil.

Hurtado also played in the first two 2010 World Cup qualifying games against Venezuela and Brazil. Ecuador lost both matches badly. Because of this, he and teammate Ulises de la Cruz were not chosen for the next game. Hurtado announced that this would be his last qualifying campaign. He said that younger, talented players deserved their chance, just like he had his.

Iván Hurtado has played in more FIFA World Cup qualification matches than any other player in history. His record for most international games by a South American player was broken by Lionel Messi in December 2022.

How Iván Hurtado Played

Iván Hurtado was once a top-class defender. He had good technique and could read the game very well. His fans in Spanish called him "Bam Bam" because he would kick the ball with great force, like the cartoon character uses his club.

Iván's playing style was different from his national teammate, Giovanny Espinoza. Espinoza was a big player who used his size, strength, and speed to stop opponents. Hurtado, however, was known for being very smooth and often didn't need to make much contact to take the ball from an opponent. Iván also made very clean tackles and was great at organizing his team's defense. He was confident with the ball and could even make surprising runs forward.

Hurtado was good at both long and short passes. He also took free kicks well. Even though he couldn't bend the ball as much as some other free-kick takers, he was known for hitting the ball with such power that goalkeepers found it hard to stop his shots.

Iván Hurtado's Political Career

Hurtado speaking in 2013

In the 2013 Ecuadorian general election, Iván Hurtado was elected as a member of the National Assembly. He represents the National Constituency. Hurtado is a member of the PAIS Alliance political party. Agustín Delgado and Ulises de la Cruz, who were his teammates on the national football team, also serve in the National Assembly for the same party.

Career Statistics

International Goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	24 May 1992	?, Guatemala City, Guatemala	Guatemala	1–1	Draw	Friendly
2.	24 May 1995	Athletic Recreation Park Stadium, Toyama City, Japan	Scotland	2–1	Lost	1995 Kirin Cup
3.	7 June 1997	Estadio José Pachencho Romero, Maracaibo, Venezuela	Venezuela	1–1	Draw	1998 World Cup Q.
4.	12 January 2002	Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo, Guayaquil, Ecuador	Guatemala	1–0	Win	Friendly
5.	9 February 2003	Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo, Guayaquil, Ecuador	Estonia	1–0	Win	Friendly

Honours and Achievements

Emelec

• Ecuadorian Serie A: 1993, 1994

Atlético Nacional

• Primera A: 2007

Ecuador National Team

• Canada Cup: 1999
• Korea Cup: 1995

See also

In Spanish: Iván Hurtado para niños

• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps