About Iván Hurtado
Iván Jacinto Hurtado Angulo (born 16 August 1974) is an Ecuadorian politician and former professional footballer who played as a centre back. Hurtado participated at six Copa Américas and two FIFA World Cups. With 168 international appearances for Ecuador between 1992 and 2014, he is considered one of the best Ecuadorian players of all time and was the most capped South American male footballer until Lionel Messi overtook him during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He is also the 17th-most-capped male international footballer. In 2013, Hurtado entered politics and was elected to the National Assembly for the PAIS Alliance. == Club career == Hurtado started his career with the small club of his hometown, Esmeraldas Petrolero, at the age of 16. A year later he moved on to one of Ecuador's biggest clubs in Guayaquil, Emelec, and had two stellar seasons, including two championships with the club, in one of them he scored the championship goal with a free kick he executed. His excellent play warranted a switch to the Mexican leagues where he even further developed his defending techniques and his intelligent reading of the game. Ivan made a big impact in his first club, Celaya, where he led them to the Mexican league finals. He then moved to Tigres.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.