Bryan García

Bryan García's move to Brazil ended almost as abruptly as it began. Athletico Paranaense signed him from Independiente del Valle in January 2022 for around $1.5 million, but by May 2023 the Brazilian club had released him following a scandal linked to betting on matches.

García had arrived in Brazil off the back of a breakthrough at Independiente del Valle. He came through the club's academy after joining in 2018, having started out in the youth ranks at Ciudadelas del Norte, and a loan at Independiente Juniors in Ecuador's second division gave him four matches before he broke into the first team. He kept knocking on the door until 2020, the year he also won the Copa Libertadores Sub-20, and in 2021 he was Ecuadorian champion with the senior side.

Between the two Serie A titles came the Brazilian interlude, where García won the Campeonato Paranaense before his release. He returned to Independiente del Valle in the summer of 2023 and added a second Serie A title in 2025, the same year he went out on loan again to Independiente Juniors, making 21 appearances and scoring four goals.

García moved to Deportivo Cuenca as a free agent in February 2026. By August he had made 16 appearances in the Liga Pro, one in the Copa Ecuador and six in the Copa Sudamericana.