How one of the best academies in the world has inspired a golden generation

It might not be very apparent just yet, but Ecuador are slowly entering into a golden generation which in 5 years time could be up there as one of the strongest teams in South America. Moises Caicedo, Piero Hincapie, William Pacho and Joel Ordonez are all players 23 and under who are playing for some of the strongest teams in their respective leagues and have all shown to be quality players with bright futures ahead of them. In addition to these ballers, Ecuadorian fans are already bracing themselves for two potential superstars to introduce themselves to the world.

Kenry Paez is a 17 year old attacking midfielder who has been displaying such a vast array of talent that Chelsea bought him for around £20 million over a year ago, with him expected to join this summer. Justin Lerma also has been snapped up by Borussia Dortmund in spite of him being 16 years of age with only 14 senior appearances to his name. 

The future is looking increasingly bright for Ecuador with new young talents seeming to be unearthed every season. But, this is by no means a coincidence. Every player I just named all have two things in common - they’re Ecuadorian and they have all been produced by the same academy.

Independiente De Valle. An Ecuadorian team formed in 1958 and located in Sangolqui, a town which is just south-east of the capital city - Quito. Up until the mid 2000s, Independiente were unimportant and uninspiring. There’s nothing wrong with that, they were just another team. Battling it out in the third tier of Ecuadorian football, there was little to get excited about in regards to the club - but that’s when it all changed. 

In 2005, the club was bought by entrepreneur Michel Deller and instantly he began to pump money into them. But, he was doing this with a very specific aim in his mind - youth. Deller wanted to create an academy which was viewed as one of the best in South America and he’s done just that. 

It’s lled to unprecedented success both in the first team and within the younger age groups. Independiente are the most successful u20 team in Copa Libertadores history whilst the first-team have won 8 trophies in their last 16 seasons. In Ecuador, they are viewed as THE club - all aspiring footballers dream of playing for them because if you find yourself in their academy, the chances of you making it to the top level are instantly tripled.

Along with the heaps of money that has been poured into youth development, another thing which makes Independiente De Valle so prestigious is the over-bearing approach they have towards education. Taking inspiration from the illustrious La Masia, the Ecuadorian club have made sure that all of their players are able to graduate with more than just football in their minds. "They are taught how to use technology, deal with money, modern skills that you need. It is about developing the human being as well as the player. They are having to make the step at just 15, 16 or 17. Talent is not enough." Said Independiente’s second team coach Javier Rabanal. They are also made to learn how to speak English as the club tries to prepare players for the ever-growing likelihood that they will be bought by a European team.

Sporting director Roberto Arroyo also explained the clubs eagerness to prepare their youngsters for the real world:  “In youth divisions we always want Independiente to be the best-dressed, the most punctual, the one who cleans the dressing room after use,” he told The Associated Press. This makes it no surprise that so many of their players are able to come to Europe at such an early age and instantly show their class without needing the long adaptation period that their age-mates would undoubtedly desire.

The academy, in particular, will focus on recruiting players who excel physically - demonstrating a high level of speed and strength which coaches will use to mould them into top-class athletes. They strive towards allowing attackers to really express themselves and making sure midfielders and defenders are intense and imposing, which in turn has created a very exciting and tough Ecuadorian national team to break down. 

Ecuador currently sit second in the world club qualifiers table. Above Uruguay, Brazil and Colombia whilst only conceding 5 goals in 14 games which is easily the best in the competition. In a pair of friendlies played in September 2022, 12 of the 28 players called up to the national team, had graduated from Independiente’s academy -  an absurd number which does well in demonstrating just how much it dominates the country. 

Ecuador at the next World Cup will still be a very young team - definitely one of the youngest there. But, rest assured there will be some serious firepower within that squad which could see them progress to maybe even the Quarter-Finals of the competition, something I could definitely see.

Even if next year’s competition proves to have come too early for the young side. There’s too much quality coming out of that country to keep them down for long. I can see Ecuador slowly growing into one of the best  international sides across the world in the next decade and almost all of this is down to the work that Michel Deller started at Independiente De Valle. The money they get from selling players in put straight back into the club, creating a sustainable business model which will only lead to improvements across the club and also will do nothing but good for Ecuadorian football in general as clubs battle it out to stay competitive with Independiente. 

The future looks so exciting, and maybe Independiente’s model could serve as an example to other countries who have the raw talent there, patiently waiting for an opportunity to finally be unleashed.

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11096/13209170/inside-the-ecuador-club-producing-world-class-talent

https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-sports-soccer-qatar-middle-east-39cbe04919b40ee69d495f8d93c5df97