Ibraim Cuero

Ibraim Cuero broke into Manta FC's first team in an unfamiliar role. The club used him in midfield early on, before settling him into the right-back position where he has stayed since. The switch showed up in the numbers rather than the team sheet: his tackle and interception figures on the flank marked him out as a defender long before the club's own records caught up with the change.

Born in the Febres Cordero district of Guayaquil, Cuero has spent his career so far entirely with Manta. His 2026 campaign brought six appearances, without a goal or an assist to his name — a quiet return, but one that came while he was still adjusting to a new defensive role rather than an attacking one further up the pitch.

That form was enough to interest Emelec, who signed him in July 2026 on a contract running to June 2028. The move takes Cuero from a smaller coastal club to one of Ecuador's most decorated sides, a step up he will make still early in his transition from midfielder to full-back.

He has yet to be called up by Ecuador at any level.