Willian Pacho
Ecuadorian footballer (born 2001)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Willian Joel Pacho Tenorio (born 16 October 2001) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Ecuador national team.[4]
|
Pacho playing for Paris Saint-Germain in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Willian Joel Pacho Tenorio[1][2] | ||
| Date of birth | 16 October 2001[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Quinindé, Ecuador | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Paris Saint-Germain | ||
| Number | 51 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2012–2017 | Huracán de Quinindé | ||
| 2017–2020 | Independiente del Valle | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2022 | Independiente del Valle | 26 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Royal Antwerp | 42 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 33 | (0) |
| 2024– | Paris Saint-Germain | 51 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023– | Ecuador | 34 | (2) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:17, 2 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 31 March 2026 | |||
Club career
Independiente del Valle
From Quinindé in the far north of Ecuador, Pacho moved to the suburbs of capital Quito to debut with Independiente del Valle in 2019, with both he and the club going on to enjoy a remarkable run of success over the next three years.
A non-playing substitute across the entire 2018 U-20 Copa Libertadores run that saw IDV reach the final only to lose to 2–1 in the decider to Uruguayans Nacional,[5] Pacho was first named on the bench for IDV's 2–0 win at Mushuc Runa on 15 March 2019.[6]
Pacho was finally given his first-team debut in November of that year, starting in the 0–0 draw against Delfin[7] that rounded off IDV's regular season campaign ahead of the Ecuadorian League Play-Offs, the match coming a week before Independiente del Valle claimed their first ever international crown, beating Colón of Argentina 3–1 in Asunción in the 2019 Copa Sudamericana Final.[8] Pacho was not a member of the continental squad, but did feature heavily in IDV's 2020 U-20 Copa Libertadores triumph, playing all but one game.
Independiente beat Flamengo of Brazil on penalties in the semi-finals, and Argentine giants River Plate 2–1 in the final in Luque. Pacho started both knockout games in defence. With a good young crop coming through, Independiente del Valle went on to lift the Ecuadorian League title for the very first time in 2021, defeating Emelec in the finals by a 4–2 aggregate score. Pacho played 17 games on the road to glory, starting when he was 16.
Royal Antwerp
Having been spotted by Belgian scouts, Pacho signed a five-year contract with title-chasing Royal Antwerp on 28 January 2022.[9] Pacho only played three league games in his first season with Antwerp for coach Brian Priske, as the Great Old finished fourth in the Belgian League title play-offs behind champions Club Brugge, runners-up Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and third-placed Anderlecht, who beat Antwerp home and away in the Championship play-offs to keep the Great Old at bay.
Under new coach Mark van Bommel, Pacho became a fixture in the Royal Antwerp defence for the 2022–23 season, as Antwerp won their first nine games of the season on the way to qualifying for the 2023 Belgian Cup Final and title play-offs, and within months had attracted interest from Ligue 1, the Scottish Premiership and Bundesliga. An agreement was reached during the winter transfer window in January 2023 between Royal Antwerp and reigning UEFA Europa League champions Eintracht Frankfurt that Pacho would join them at the end of the season.
Pacho started Antwerp's 2023 Belgian Cup Final win over Mechelen, the club's second triumph in the competition in four seasons.[10]
Eintracht Frankfurt
On 30 March 2023, it was announced that Pacho had signed a five-year contract with Eintracht, valid from 1 June.[11] In the 2023–24 season, Pacho started in 42 matches in all competitions, ranking among Eintracht Frankfurt's best players for duels won and passes completed.[12]
Paris Saint-Germain
On 9 August 2024, it was announced Pacho had officially signed for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for a reported upfront fee of €40 million (potentially rising to €45 million) on a five-year contract deal.[13] He became the club's first Ecuadorian player.[14] On 16 August, Pacho made his official debut for PSG in a 4–1 victory over Le Havre.[15]
On 31 May 2025, he started in a 5–0 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League final, becoming the first Ecuadorian to win the competition, and the fourth to win an UEFA competition, after Antonio Valencia, Pervis Estupiñán and Moisés Caicedo.[16] He scored his first goal for PSG, which was also his first career club goal, on 21 October 2025 during the 7–2 victory against Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League league phase.[17][18]
International career
Pacho was included in the Ecuador senior squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but did not play in any match.[19] He debuted on 28 March 2023 in a 2–1 friendly victory against Australia in Melbourne while scoring his first international goal.[20]
Pacho was called up to the final 26-man Ecuador squad for the 2024 Copa América.[21]
Personal life
Pacho's first name is often mistakenly listed as "William", since the two are almost interchangeably used in Spanish.[2]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 30 May 2026[22]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Independiente del Valle | 2019 | Ecuadorian Serie A | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2020 | Ecuadorian Serie A | 8 | 0 | — | 1[b] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2021 | Ecuadorian Serie A | 17 | 0 | — | 12[c] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 30 | 0 | ||
| Total | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 0 | ||
| Royal Antwerp | 2021–22 | Belgian Pro League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| 2022–23 | Belgian Pro League | 39 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5[e] | 0 | — | 50 | 0 | ||
| Total | 42 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 53 | 0 | |||
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 33 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8[e] | 0 | — | 44 | 0 | |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 28 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 17[f] | 0 | 6[g] | 0 | 57 | 0 |
| 2025–26 | Ligue 1 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17[f] | 2 | 3[h] | 0 | 44 | 2 | |
| Total | 51 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 34 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 101 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 152 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 60 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 238 | 2 | ||
- Includes Belgian Cup, DFB-Pokal, Coupe de France
- Appearance in Copa Libertadores
- Ten appearances in Copa Libertadores, two appearances in Copa Sudamericana
- Appearance in Supercopa Ecuador
- Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- One appearance in Trophée des Champions, five appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
- One appearance in UEFA Super Cup, one appearance in FIFA Intercontinental Cup, one appearance in Trophée des Champions
International
- As of match played 31 March 2026[23]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecuador | 2023 | 9 | 2 |
| 2024 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 34 | 2 | |
Scores and results list Ecuador's goal tally first.[23]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 March 2023 | Docklands Stadium, Melbourne, Australia |  Australia | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 20 June 2023 | Subaru Park, Chester, United States |  Costa Rica | 2–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
Honours
Independiente del Valle
Royal Antwerp
Paris Saint-Germain
- Ligue 1: 2024–25,[25] 2025–26[26]
- Coupe de France: 2024–25[27]
- Trophée des Champions: 2024,[28] 2025[29]
- UEFA Champions League: 2024–25,[30] 2025–26[31]
- UEFA Super Cup: 2025[32]
- FIFA Intercontinental Cup: 2025[33]
- FIFA Club World Cup runner-up: 2025[34]
Individual
