JAIME IVAN KAVIEDES

He was born on October 24, 1977 in Santo Domingo de los Colorados.

His parents, Jaime Iván and Juanita, died in a car accident when he was six years old. Therefore,

he grew up under the care of his grandparents, Benjamín Llorenty and Francia Méndez, who

dedicated themselves to working on the farm they owned and were in charge of his training. He

studied at the Pío XII School where, together with his classmates, he took advantage of recess to

play soccer. Those first steps allowed him to participate in the second category championship of

Santo Domingo, where he remained until 1993 when he arrived in Guayaquil to study at the

Liceo Cristiano.

Some time later he looked for an opportunity in the Emelec youth team, where his forceful

football caught the attention of the millionaire leaders, who immediately signed him for the

club. His arrival in Guayaquil football marked a change and began a legend that will be told

from generation to generation. The Kaviedes phenomenon began in 1998, he scored 43 goals

and was included in the statistics of the International Federation, which on January 11 in

Rotenburg de Fulda, Germany, awarded him and included him in the world records.

In this way, his fame as a scorer crossed the Atlantic and several European teams sought his

pass. His transfer to Italian soccer was historic, $525,000 dollars paid for his signing to A.C

Perugia and he was registered as the first Ecuadorian player to participate in the Italian “calcio.”

After that, in 2000 he was hired to play in Portugal, for one of the most important teams in

Europe, Benfica. It is also relevant to highlight his participation in the Ecuadorian national team

during the World Cups in 2002 and 2006.

After a short stay in Mexico, he was transferred to Valladolid in Spain, from where he later

moved to Celta de Vigo, and in 2003 he was transferred to Puebla in Mexico. Furthermore, in

2004, after a short spell at Barcelona de Guayaquil, he was transferred to Crystal Palace of the

English Premier League.