Christian Lara (footballer)
Ecuadorian footballer (born 1980)
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Christian Rolando Lara Anangonó, nicknamed Diablito (Little Devil) (born April 27, 1980 in Quito, Pichincha Province), is an Ecuadorian former footballer who played as a left winger. His last club was Sociedad Atlética Sancor, a team competing in Ecuador’s Segunda Categoría, the third tier of the national football league system.[2][3] He was an international player for the Ecuador national football team and was part of the squad that participated in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.[4]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christian Rolando Lara Anangonó[1] | ||
| Date of birth | April 27, 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | Quito, Ecuador | ||
| Height | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994–1999 | El Nacional | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–2005 | El Nacional | 184 | (28) |
| 2006 | Al-Wakrah | 12 | (2) |
| 2007 | L.D.U. Quito | 44 | (16) |
| 2008 | Barcelona SC | 41 | (4) |
| 2009 | Deportivo Pereira | 10 | (1) |
| 2009–2010 | L.D.U. Quito | 46 | (3) |
| 2011 | El Nacional | 31 | (3) |
| 2012 | Real Cartagena | 8 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Manta | 38 | (5) |
| 2014 | Deportivo Quito | 43 | (8) |
| 2015–2016 | El Nacional | 81 | (14) |
| 2017 | Dorados de Sinaloa | 3 | (0) |
| 2018 | Clan Juvenil | 14 | (3) |
| 2018 | El Nacional | 12 | (0) |
| Total | 590 | (115) | |
| International career | |||
| 2002–2008 | Ecuador | 28 | (4) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
Lara came through all youth divisions of Club Deportivo El Nacional, where he played until mid-2006, when he was loaned to Al-Wakrah SC of Qatar.[4] With El Nacional, he competed from 1998, the year he made his debut in Ecuador’s top division, and remained at the club until 2006. During this period, he scored a goal in the 2001 Copa Libertadores against River Plate.[5] He also scored a goal in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Argentina, in a 2–0 victory for Ecuador.[5]
After his time at El Nacional, he had a brief international spell with Al-Wakrah SC in Qatar. In 2007, he returned to Ecuador to join Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito, with whom he won the Ecuadorian league title that same year.[4]
He later played for Barcelona Sporting Club (2008) and Deportivo Pereira in Colombia (2009).[6] That same year, he returned to Liga de Quito, where he was part of the squad that won the 2009 Copa Sudamericana, the 2009 and 2010 Recopa Sudamericana, and the 2010 Ecuadorian championship.[4][7] In 2011, he returned to Club Deportivo El Nacional. That same year, a possible transfer to the Indian club Euro Musketeers was reported, although it did not materialize.[8] In 2012, he joined Real Cartagena in Colombia, after having played in clubs in Ecuador, Qatar, and Deportivo Pereira.[9] In 2017, he played for Mexican club Dorados de Sinaloa, where he had a brief spell before returning to Ecuador.[10]
In 2022, he returned to football after retirement, joining Sociedad Deportiva Rayo in Ecuador’s Segunda Categoría (the third tier of the national league system, organized regionally). In 2025, he played for Sociedad Atlética Sancor, also in the Segunda Categoría.[11][12]
International career
Honors
During his career, Lara finished as runner-up in the Ecuadorian Serie A in 1999, 2000, and 2001. Among his main achievements are the Ecuadorian league titles in 2005 with El Nacional, and in 2007 and 2010 with Liga de Quito. He also won the 2009 Copa Sudamericana and the 2009 and 2010 Recopa Sudamericana with Liga de Quito.[4]
He was named the best player of the Ecuadorian league in 2007.[7]
Controversies
In April 2026, he was detained in Quito in the context of an investigation into an alleged attempted robbery of a commercial establishment, according to police authorities.[13] According to those authorities, he was allegedly linked to a group involved in the incident. The case remains under investigation.[2] Subsequently, a judge ordered pretrial detention for those involved while the investigation proceeds.[14]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 29 June 2018
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| El Nacional | 2000 | Serie A | 3 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2001 | Serie A | 34 | 15 | — | 3 | 1 | 37 | 16 | ||
| 2002 | Serie A | 40 | 11 | — | 8 | 0 | 48 | 11 | ||
| 2003 | Serie A | 40 | 9 | — | 3 | 0 | 43 | 9 | ||
| 2004 | Serie A | 38 | 6 | — | 6 | 0 | 44 | 6 | ||
| 2005 | Serie A | 40 | 11 | — | 2 | 1 | 42 | 12 | ||
| 2006 | Serie A | 16 | 2 | — | 6 | 1 | 22 | 3 | ||
| Total | 211 | 55 | — | 28 | 3 | 239 | 58 | |||
| Al-Wakrah SC | 2006–07 | Q-League | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 |
| Total | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | ||
| L.D.U. Quito | 2007 | Serie A | 44 | 16 | — | 6 | 0 | 50 | 16 | |
| Total | 44 | 16 | — | 6 | 0 | 50 | 16 | |||
| Barcelona SC | 2008 | Serie A | 41 | 4 | — | 0 | 0 | 41 | 4 | |
| Total | 41 | 4 | — | 0 | 0 | 41 | 4 | |||
| Deportivo Pereira | 2009 | Liga Águila | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 |
| Total | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 | ||
| L.D.U. Quito | 2009 | Serie A | 14 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| 2010 | Serie A | 34 | 3 | — | 5 | 0 | 39 | 3 | ||
| Total | 48 | 3 | — | 12 | 0 | 60 | 3 | |||
| El Nacional | 2011 | Serie A | 31 | 3 | — | 0 | 0 | 31 | 3 | |
| Total | 31 | 3 | — | 0 | 0 | 31 | 3 | |||
| Real Cartagena | 2012 | Liga Águila | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Total | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
| Manta FC | 2012 | Serie A | 20 | 3 | — | 0 | 0 | 20 | 3 | |
| 2013 | Serie A | 18 | 2 | — | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 | ||
| Total | 38 | 5 | — | 0 | 0 | 38 | 5 | |||
| Deportivo Quito | 2014 | Serie A | 43 | 8 | — | 2 | 0 | 45 | 8 | |
| Total | 43 | 8 | — | 2 | 0 | 45 | 8 | |||
| El Nacional | 2015 | Serie A | 41 | 4 | — | 0 | 0 | 41 | 4 | |
| 2016 | Serie A | 40 | 10 | — | 0 | 0 | 40 | 10 | ||
| Total | 81 | 14 | — | 0 | 0 | 81 | 14 | |||
| Dorados de Sinaloa | 2017 | Ascenso MX | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Total | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | ||
| Clan Juvenil | 2018 | Serie B | 14 | 3 | — | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | |
| Total | 14 | 3 | — | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | |||
| El Nacional | 2018 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 590 | 115 | 7 | 1 | 48 | 3 | 645 | 119 | ||