Ecuador's police said on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, local time, that Mario Pineida, a 33-year-old defender of Barcelona de Guayaquil, was shot dead in an attack that appeared to have occurred amid rising violence in the Andean country.
Another person whose identity was not disclosed by the police was also killed in the incident, and another person was injured.
Ecuador's Interior Ministry confirmed Pineida's death without giving details. Barcelona de Guayaquil said in a statement that supporters were mourning Pineida's death.
Pineida started his professional career at Independiente del Valle, where he played from 2010 to 2015. Then he moved to the coastal city club Guayaquil in 2016 and won two league titles there. The defender also played briefly at Fluminense (Brazil) in 2022.
Ecuadorian media reported the incident occurred in the Samanes region at the northern tip of Guayaquil, which is located 265 kilometers (165 miles) southwest of the capital Quito.
According to the Ecuadorian Observatory of Organized Crime, the country is expected to experience the most violent year in history with more than 9,000 murders. Last year, the death toll from violence reached 7,063 deaths and a record 8,248 in 2023.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has vowed to fight criminal organizations that have expanded their operations in Ecuadorian territory in relation to international drug cartels.
In November 2025, a 16-year-old Independiente del Valle soccer player died from a stray bullet, also in Guayaquil.
Two months earlier, Maicol Valencia and Leandro Yepez, both Exapromo Costa players, as well as Jonathan Gonzalez of 22 de Junio died from gunshot wounds.
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