Ecuadoran footballer Mario Pineida was tragically killed in a shooting on Wednesday in the port city of Guayaquil, his club has confirmed.
The 33‑year‑old defender, who represented Ecuador in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup qualifiers and played for Brazilian side Fluminense in 2022, was attacked while with his mother and another woman.
Barcelona SC, Pineida’s current team, expressed its grief in a post on X, saying it had been officially notified of his death following the attack.
The country’s interior ministry also confirmed the incident and said a special police unit has been assigned to investigate.
Local reports indicated that Pineida was targeted by two assailants on motorcycles, who opened fire on him and his companions.
His death highlights the growing wave of violence in Guayaquil, a city that has become a hotspot for gang activity linked to drug trafficking. In recent months, several footballers have been caught up in attacks.
In September, three second‑division players were killed, and in October, local player Bryan Angula was wounded in a shooting.
Ecuador, once considered one of Latin America’s safest countries, has increasingly become a transit hub for cocaine moving from Colombia and Peru to global markets. Guayaquil has borne the brunt of this shift, recording 1,900 murders between January and September 2025 — the highest in the nation.
