John Mercado
Ecuadorian footballer (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Anthony Mercado Cuero (born 3 June 2002) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Czech First League club Sparta Prague and the Ecuador national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Anthony Mercado Cuero | ||
| Date of birth | 3 June 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Guayaquil, Ecuador | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Sparta Prague | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Clan Juvenil | |||
| 2016–2019 | Panamá | ||
| 2020–2022 | Athletico Paranaense | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022 | Athletico Paranaense | 1 | (0) |
| 2022 | → CSA (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2023 | Vilafranquense | 13 | (2) |
| 2023–2025 | AVS | 61 | (7) |
| 2025– | Sparta Prague | 26 | (7) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017 | Ecuador U15 | ||
| 2019 | Ecuador U17 | 13 | (3) |
| 2020 | Ecuador U20 | 2 | (0) |
| 2024– | Ecuador | 6 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 27 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 30 May 2026 | |||
Club career
Born in Guayaquil, Mercado agreed to a contract with Athletico Paranaense in July 2019,[1] but only moved to his new side in August 2020, after his 18th birthday.[2] After playing for the under-20s, he impressed manager Alberto Valentim in 2022, and was promoted to the first team squad.[3]
Mercado made his professional debut on 2 March 2022, coming on as a second-half substitute for Léo Cittadini in a 0–2 away loss against Palmeiras, for the year's Recopa Sudamericana.[4][5] In July, Athletico sent him on loan to Série B club CSA until the end of the season.[6]
In January 2023, Mercado terminated his contract with Athletico Paranaense and moved to Portugal, joining Liga Portugal 2 side Vilafranquense.[7] At the end of the 2022–23 season, Vilafranquense relocated to Vila das Aves and was rebranded as AVS Futebol SAD.[8] On 18 December 2023, he extended his contract with AVS until 2027.[9]
On 10 August 2025, Mercado signed a contract with Czech First League club Sparta Prague.[10]
International career
Mercado represented Ecuador at under-15 level in the 2017 South American U-15 Championship, and at under-17 level in the 2019 South American U-17 Championship[11] and the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[12]
Mercado debuted for the senior Ecuador national team on 6 September 2024 in a World Cup qualifier against Brazil at the Estádio Couto Pereira. He substituted Kevin Rodríguez in the 68th minute, Brazil won 1–0.[13]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 24 May 2026[14]
| Club | Season | League | State League | Cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Athletico Paranaense | 2022 | Série A | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| CSA (loan) | 2022 | Série B | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||||
| Vilafranquense | 2022–23 | Liga Portugal 2 | 13 | 2 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 2 | ||||
| AVS | 2023–24 | Liga Portugal 2 | 28 | 4 | — | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 2[b] | 1 | 34 | 6 | ||
| 2024–25 | Primeira Liga | 33 | 3 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2[c] | 0 | 36 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 61 | 7 | — | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 4 | 1 | 70 | 10 | ||||
| Sparta Prague | 2025–26 | Czech First League | 26 | 7 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 9[d] | 1 | — | 37 | 9 | |||
| Career total | 110 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 133 | 21 | ||
- Appearance(s) in Recopa Sudamericana
- Appearance(s) in Liga Portugal 2 Playoffs
- Appearance(s) in Primeira Liga Playoffs
- Appearance(s) in UEFA Conference League
International
- As of match played 30 May 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecuador | 2024 | 3 | 0 |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 0 | |