Sunderland winger Nilson Angulo has admitted he was delighted by the late arrival of compatriot Juan Riquelme Angulo to the club this summer.
The winger is in his full season with the Sunderland after arriving at the Stadium of Light at the beginning of 2026.
He was, initially, the only Ecuadorian in the dressing room. In fact, he was one of only three Ecuadorian players in the Premier League at that point alongside Moises Caicedo and Piero Hincapie.
The list of Ecuadorians in the Premier League is not exactly extensive either. Antonio Valencia tops that list, making 325 appearances, followed by Caicedo on 155 and counting.
Ecuadorian history
Other names such as Ulises de la Cruz, Pervis Estupinan, Enner Valencia and Jefferson Montero make up the list of players Ecuadorians to have featured in the Premier League since its inception.
18-year-old Juan Riquelme Angulo could add to that collection in future after joining Sunderland at the end of the transfer window from Independiente del Valle. That was a move Nilson Angulo was delighted to see happen.
“It means a lot, leaving Ecuador and the journey I’ve taken—it’s a dream. I always said I wanted to play in the best league, and here I am,” he told ESPN.
“It makes me very happy to see a fellow countryman. I try to help him because I know how difficult it is—I ask him how he’s feeling.”
Teasing
Juan Riquelme has also had to deal with some teasing in the Sunderland dressing room. After all, he shares a name with a very famous Argentinian former footballer.
That didn’t go unnoticed during his first few days at Sunderland.
“We tease him about that name,” concluded Angulo.
“The team’s forwards are all very different types of players; he has many qualities, and his time will come. He already told us that he was named after that player (Juan Román Riquelme).”
