Álex Aguinaga

Álex Dario Aguinaga Garzon, or simply “Álex Aguinaga,” is a retired professional football midfielder from Ecuador. Aguinaga was born on July 9, 1968 in Ibarra, Ecuador, and is best known for being the all-time cap leader in the country with 109 matches and his 23 goals. Aguinaga has also been recognized as one of the best football players of all time in Ecuador. It is no surprise then that Aguinaga has already been to many well known clubs all over the world.

Aguinaga started playing at club level as a midfielder when he joined Deportivo Quito in 1984. After spending approximately 5 years with the said club, Aguinaga decided to make a jump and joined Necaxa. It was at Necaxa that Aguinaga stayed for the longest time in his professional career, which also added 3 championships to his record as well as to the club itself. During this time, Aguinaga gained enough popularity that caught the interest of many major European clubs such as Real Madrid and Inter Milan.

Although these were tempting offers for Aguinaga, he kept his word and stayed with Necaxa until 2003. By then, Aguinaga transferred to Cruz Azul, but stayed for only a year, before he transferred to LDU Quito. It was at the LDU Quito where Aguinaga played his last match before he retired in 2005.

Although Aguinaga is no longer active as a professional football player, he is currently working as Necaxa’s sub-director of management. As for his participation in the international level, Aguinaga has represented Ecuador by playing with the national team since 1987 until 2004.