Juan Carlos Espinoza Mercado (born 23 July 1987, in Machala) is an Ecuadorian professional football player who has played for the Ecuadorian club Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Loja, and in 2010 he joined Peruvian club Juan Aurich.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Juan Carlos Espinoza Mercado | ||
| Date of birth | 23 July 1987[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Machala, Ecuador | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Liga de Loja | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2011 | Universitaria de Loja[1] | ||
| 2006 | → Deportivo Cuenca (loan)[1] | ||
| 2008 | → JVC FC (loan)[1] | ||
| 2009 | → Buffalos (loan)[1] | ||
| 2011 | Municipal Cañar[1] | ||
| 2012–2013 | Juan Aurich | 12 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 2013 | Peru U20 | 4[2] | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
International career
editIdentity case
editIn January 2013, he was called into the 2013 South American Youth Championship for the Peruvian U20 team. He played in four games under the name of Max Barrios Prado before it was reported that he had used false documentation that implied that the player was 17 years old.[3] The Civil Registry of Ecuador released documentation showing that the player was 25 years old and married. He was withdrawn from the competition.
The rumors were initially reported by someone who claimed to be a friend of 'Maradona', the former player of Palma de Huacho and the apparent father of 'Max Barrios'. The person claimed Maradona told him that the U20 player was from "Colombia or Ecuador" and that 'Maradona' was not the player's father.[4]
Jaime Villavicencio, President of Universitaria de Loja club confirmed that the player in the U20 competition is the same person as the one who played for Universitaria de Loja.[5] The Peruvian club Juan Aurich has passed information on to their lawyers as the player signed a contract with Juan Aurich using false documentation.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Juan Espinoza – Ecuadorian Football Federation player profile
- ^ Max Barrios at Soccerway
- ^ "Max Barrios y Juan Carlos Espinosa Mercado serían la misma persona" (in Spanish). peru.com. 24 January 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "Max Barrios: Cibernautas ya sospechaban de su nacionalidad y edad" (in Spanish). peru.com. 23 January 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "Presidente de la Liga de Loja afirma que Max Barrios jugó en Ecuador" (in Spanish). rpp.com.pe. 22 January 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "Juan Aurich presenta caso Max Barrios a la Fiscalía" (in Spanish). peru.com. 23 January 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.