| Willian Pacho | |
| Full Name: | Willian Joel Pacho Tenorio[1] |
| Birth Date: | 16 October 2001 |
| Birth Place: | Quinindé, Ecuador |
| Height: | 1.88 m |
| Position: | Centre-back |
| Currentclub: | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Clubnumber: | 51 |
| Years1: | 2019–2022 |
| Clubs1: | Independiente del Valle |
| Caps1: | 26 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2022–2023 |
| Clubs2: | Royal Antwerp |
| Caps2: | 42 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2023–2024 |
| Clubs3: | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| Caps3: | 33 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Years4: | 2024– |
| Clubs4: | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Caps4: | 1 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2023– |
| Nationalteam1: | Ecuador |
| Nationalcaps1: | 15 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 2 |
| Club-Update: | 21:51, 16 August 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 4 July 2024 |
Willian Joel Pacho Tenorio (born 16 October 2001) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Ecuador national team.[2]
From Quinindé in the far north of Ecuador, Pacho moved to the suburbs of capital Quito to turn professional with Independiente del Valle in 2019, with both he and the club going on to enjoy a remarkable run of success over the next three years.
A non-playing substitute across the entire 2018 U-20 Copa Libertadores run that saw IDV reach the final only to lose to 2–1 in the decider to Uruguayans Nacional,[3] Pacho was first named on the bench for IDV's 2–0 win at Mushuc Runa on 15 March 2019.[4]
Pacho was finally given his first-team debut in November of that year, starting in the 0–0 draw against Delfin[5] that rounded off IDV's regular season campaign ahead of the Ecuadorian League Play-Offs, the match coming a week before Independiente del Valle claimed their first ever international crown, beating Colón of Argentina 3–1 in Asunción in the 2019 Copa Sudamericana Final.[6] Pacho was not a member of the continental squad, but did feature heavily in IDV's 2020 U-20 Copa Libertadores triumph, playing all but one game.
Independiente beat Flamengo of Brazil on penalties in the semi-finals, and Argentine giants River Plate 2–1 in the final in Luque. Pacho started both knockout games in defence.
With a good young crop coming through, Independiente del Valle went on to lift the Ecuadorian League title for the very first time in 2021, defeating Emelec in the finals by a 4–2 aggregate score. Pacho played 17 games on the road to glory, starting 16.
Having been spotted by Belgian scouts, Pacho signed a five-year contract with title-chasing Royal Antwerp on 28 January 2022.[7] Pacho only played three league games in his first season with Antwerp for coach Brian Priske, as the Great Old finished fourth in the Belgian League title play-offs behind champions Club Brugge, runners-up Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and third-placed Anderlecht, who beat Antwerp home and away in the Championship play-offs to keep the Great Old at bay.
Under new coach Mark van Bommel, Pacho became a fixture in the Royal Antwerp defence for the 2022–23 season, as Antwerp won their first nine games of the season on the way to qualifying for the 2023 Belgian Cup Final and title play-offs, and within months had attracted interest from Ligue 1, the Scottish Premiership and Bundesliga. An agreement was reached during the winter transfer window in January 2023 between Royal Antwerp and reigning UEFA Europa League champions Eintracht Frankfurt that Pacho would join them at the end of the season.
On 30 March 2023, it was announced that Pacho had signed a five-year contract with Eintracht, valid from 1 June.[8] Pacho started Antwerp's 2023 Belgian Cup Final win over Mechelen, the club's second triumph in the competition in four seasons.[9]
In the 2023–24 season, Pacho started in 42 matches in all competitions, ranking among Eintracht Frankfurt's best players for duels won and passes completed.[10]
On 9 August 2024, it was announced Pacho had officially signed for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for a reported upfront fee of €40 million (potentially rising to €45 million) on a five-year contract deal.[11] He became the club's first Ecuadorian player.[12] On 16 August, Pacho made his official debut for PSG in a 4–1 victory over Le Havre.[13]
Pacho was included in the Ecuador senior squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but did not play in any match.[14] He debuted on 28 March 2023 in a 2–1 friendly victory against Australia in Melbourne while scoring his first international goal.[15]
Pacho's first name is often mistakenly listed as "William", since the two are almost interchangeably used in Spanish.[16]
| Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Independiente del Valle | 2019 | Ecuadorian Serie A | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2020 | Ecuadorian Serie A | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2021 | Ecuadorian Serie A | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 | ||
| Total | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 0 | |||
| Royal Antwerp | 2021–22 | Belgian Pro League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Belgian Pro League | 39 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 50 | 0 | |||
| Total | 42 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 53 | 0 | ||||
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 33 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 44 | 0 | ||
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Career total | 102 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 138 | 0 | |||
| Ecuador | 2023 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Total | 15 | 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Scores and results list Ecuador's goal tally first.
| Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 March 2023 | Docklands Stadium, Melbourne, Australia | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly | ||
| 2 | 20 June 2023 | Subaru Park, Chester, United States | 2–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
Independiente del Valle
Royal Antwerp