Jefferson Montero facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jefferson Montero

Montero with Emelec in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Jefferson Antonio Montero Vite
Date of birth	(1989-09-01) 1 September 1989 (age 35)
Place of birth	Babahoyo, Ecuador
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Playing position	Winger
Club information
Current club	FC St Helens
Youth career
	Emelec
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2007	Emelec	22	(2)
2008–2009	Independiente José Teran	37	(19)
2008	→ Dorados (loan)	5	(1)
2009–2010	Villarreal B	32	(10)
2010–2012	Villarreal	9	(1)
2011	→ Levante (loan)	11	(0)
2011–2012	→ Betis (loan)	32	(1)
2012–2014	Morelia	57	(9)
2014–2020	Swansea City	78	(1)
2017–2018	→ Getafe (loan)	4	(0)
2018	→ Emelec (loan)	12	(1)
2019	→ West Bromwich Albion (loan)	4	(1)
2019–2020	→ Birmingham City (loan)	14	(0)
2021–2022	Querétaro	30	(0)
2022	9 de Octubre	7	(0)
2023	Aucas	13	(0)
2024	Academia AV	1	(0)
2025–	FC St Helens	0	(0)
National team
2007–2018	Ecuador	64	(10)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13:56, 17 January 2025 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals).

Jefferson Antonio Montero Vite (born 1 September 1989) is a professional footballer from Ecuador. He plays as a winger for the English club FC St Helens. He has also played for the Ecuador national team.

Jefferson Montero: A Football Journey

Starting Out in Ecuador

Jefferson Montero was born in Babahoyo, Los Ríos Province, Ecuador. He began his football career with Emelec. He then moved to Independiente José Teran where he really started to shine.

While playing for Independiente José Teran, he was loaned to a Mexican team called Dorados de Sinaloa. He played his first official game for Dorados on October 11, 2008.

Playing in Spain

In April 2009, when he was 20 years old, Montero signed a five-year contract with La Liga club Villarreal. He joined their main team and also played a lot for their reserve team, Villarreal B. He helped the reserve team finish high in their league.

Montero made his first appearance for Villarreal's senior team in February 2010. He later played his first top-flight game in La Liga in August 2010. However, he found it hard to get a regular spot in the team.

Because of this, Montero was loaned to other La Liga clubs. First, he played for Levante in early 2011. Then, he spent the 2011–12 season on loan at Real Betis. He scored his first goal for Real Betis in March 2012. He was an important player for Betis, helping them stay in the top league.

Montero playing for Levante in 2011

Time in Mexico with Morelia

On June 15, 2012, Montero moved to Monarcas Morelia, a top team in Mexico. He signed a three-year deal with them. He quickly made an impact, scoring his first goal and making two assists in his first game against Club América.

He even scored three goals in one game (a hat-trick) against his old team, Dorados, in a 6–0 win. In January 2013, he scored the first goal of the new season for Morelia. He later got the number 10 shirt and continued to score goals and provide assists. Montero also helped Morelia win the Apertura 2013 Copa MX Final, a cup competition, by scoring in the final match.

Adventures in England with Swansea City

In July 2014, Montero joined Premier League team Swansea City in England. He signed a four-year contract. He made his first game for Swansea in August 2014, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 win against Manchester United.

Later, Montero went on loan to Getafe in Spain in September 2017. He didn't play much there, so he returned to his first club, Emelec, in Ecuador in February 2018. He scored a goal for Emelec, his first for the club in 11 years, and said he was "very happy" about it.

In January 2019, Montero was loaned to West Bromwich Albion. He scored one goal in four games for them. After that, he joined Birmingham City on loan for the 2019–20 season. He showed some great skills in his first game for Birmingham. However, he got a thigh injury that kept him out for a while. He played 18 games for Birmingham before his loan ended. He then left Swansea City when his contract finished.

Later Career Moves

In November 2020, Montero went back to Mexico to play for Querétaro. More recently, in January 2025, he returned to England to join FC St Helens, a club in the North West Counties Premier Division.

Playing for Ecuador

Montero in action for Ecuador in 2015

Jefferson Montero played for the Ecuador at the 2007 Pan American Games. He scored in the final game against Jamaica, helping Ecuador win their first international trophy!

He played his first senior game for Ecuador in November 2007 in a World Cup qualifier against Peru. He scored his first goal for the national team in May 2009 in a friendly game.

Montero was chosen to be part of Ecuador's team for the 2014 World Cup. He played in their first game of the tournament against Switzerland.

International Goals

Here are some of the goals Jefferson Montero has scored for Ecuador:

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	27 May 2009	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States	El Salvador	1–0	1–3	Friendly
2	7 June 2009	Monumental "U", Lima, Peru	Peru	1–0	2–1	2010 World Cup qualification
3	15 August 2012	Citi Field, New York City, United States	Chile	3–0	3–0	Friendly
4	21 March 2013	Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador	El Salvador	4–0	5–0	Friendly
5	26 March 2013	Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador	Paraguay	2–1	4–1	2014 World Cup qualification
6				4–1
7	11 October 2013	Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador	Uruguay	1–0	1–0	2014 World Cup qualification
8	17 May 2014	Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Netherlands	1–0	1–1	Friendly
9	6 June 2015	Reales Tamarindos, Portoviejo, Ecuador	Panama	4–0	4–0	Friendly
10	17 November 2015	Polideportivo Cachamay, Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela	Venezuela	2–0	3–1	2018 World Cup qualification

Awards and Trophies

Jefferson Montero has won some important titles during his career:

• With Morelia:
  • Copa MX: Apertura 2013 (a Mexican cup)

• With Ecuador U20 (Under 20 team):
  • Pan American Games: 2007 (a major multi-sport event in the Americas)