E. S. Zambrano Pesante

Erick Zambrano's break into Orense SC's first team came fast. Signed into the club's academy at nine, with a brief spell in Independiente del Valle's youth ranks along the way, he returned to Orense in 2019 and worked through the age groups until, in July 2023, at fifteen, he was promoted to the senior squad.

He made his professional debut a month later, coming off the bench in the second half as Orense beat Gualaceo 2-0. The appearance made him the youngest player in Ecuadorian Serie A history, aged 15 years and 275 days, breaking the record previously held by Kendry Páez.

The debut brought attention beyond the result itself. Zambrano had spent his entire youth career inside Orense's own academy system, with the short loan-like stint at Independiente del Valle as the only interruption, meaning the step up to senior football came without the transfer or trial process that usually precedes a first appearance at that level.

His early senior involvement has stayed limited: three league appearances without a goal in his first months in the squad. He has also represented Ecuador at under-17 level, playing twice for the youth side without scoring. Zambrano plays as a forward, wearing the number 54 shirt for Orense SC, the club that raised him from boyhood in Machala through to his first taste of top-flight football.