Position: Defender
Born: 16.08.74
Club: Al Arabi

Every country needs a natural leader on the pitch and for Ecuador it's Ivan Hurtado who has the honour of leading the exciting South Americans.

The 31-year-old earned the captain's armband for his immense performances at the last World Cup and since then has continued to be an influential figure.

The central defender is a veteran with over 125 caps to his name and missed just one game in Ecuador's long and arduous qualifying campaign.

Hurtado is a stylish defender whose main strengths lie in his reading of the game and positioning. Picking up just one yellow card in 17 qualifying games proves the timing of his tackling is immaculate and he's certainly is not the type to concede unnecessary penalties with clumsy fouls.

Unfortunately even the best players have weaknesses and for Hurtado it's his lack of dominance in the air, but even so no strikers will have an easy ride against Ecuador this summer.

After a long career in his homeland, Hurtado made the switch to Al-Arabi in Qatar but although money may be the motivation where this move was concerned, there's no doubting his passion at international level.

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