Ariel Bao

Ariel Alessandro Bao Espinoza was still 17 when his name first appeared on a Copa Libertadores teamsheet. In May 2024, LDU Quito included the young goalkeeper in the squad for a group-stage match against Botafogo of Brazil — he did not take the pitch.

Bao came through LDU Quito's youth ranks, working his way into the club's under-20 side before that Libertadores squad inclusion. Around the same period, he was drawn into Ecuador's youth setup, representing the under-17 side at the 2023 World Cup in Indonesia and at the Copa Mitad del Mundo.

On 7 July 2025, Bao moved to Libertad, based in his home city of Loja, where he now wears the number 52 shirt. The switch has not yet translated into regular senior football: he remains largely with the club's junior sides and, when included among the substitutes for matches against Universidad Católica and Orense, has stayed on the bench. A first competitive appearance for Libertad's senior team has yet to arrive.

Born in Loja, Bao's route so far has been defined more by proximity to the first team than by minutes on the pitch.