A 16-year-old soccer player from Ecuador was killed in his home by a stray bullet. His club, Independiente del Valle, confirmed the boy’s death in a post on social media.
Miguel Nazareno, who played as a forward as well as a midfielder, was at his home in the port city of Guayaquil when he was fatally injured. Independiente, who nurtured Chelsea star Moises Caicedo and Arsenal ace Piero Hincapie before they moved to Europe, said the youngster had become a “victim of the insecurity that is affecting our country”.
His club paid an emotional tribute to the player on Instagram, writing: “The family of Independiente del Valle expresses their deep sadness at the delicate death of Independiente Juniors player Miguel Nazareno.
“We send our deepest condolences and all support to his family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time.
“Your memory will always remain at the heart of our facility.”
Nazareno’s death follows the recent deaths of Maicol Valencia and Leandro Yepez, who played for Ecuadorian second-division team Exapromo Costa FC.
According to France 24 newspaper, both players were shot dead in an armed assault in September, with Valencia dying from the gunfire and his teammate dying from his injuries two days later. Their club announced that the two were victims of attacks directed at different targets.
Later that month, Jonathan Gonzalez, who played for fellow second-division team 22 De Jurio FC, was shot and killed during an attack inside a house in Esmeraldas department.
Independiente are famous for their youth development, and Kendry Paes also joined Chelsea in the summer after coming through their academy.
The 18-year-old, who has already won 22 caps for Ecuador, was loaned to Strasbourg in the summer and made 13 appearances for France.
Meanwhile, Caicedo has developed into one of Europe’s best midfielders since moving to the Premier League.
He first arrived in England at the beginning of 2021 when he joined Brighton. And after impressing on the south coast, the 24-year-old was snapped up by Chelsea in 2023, with the Blues paying a then British record fee of £115m for the player. The player, who has 56 international caps, made 113 appearances for Chelsea.
Hincapie, a fellow Independiente academy graduate, left his home country in 2020, initially joining Argentina side CA Talleres. A year later, he signed with Bayer Leverkusen and joined Arsenal in the summer. The 23-year-old has won 48 caps for Ecuador and has made five appearances for the Gunners this season.
