Christian Lara

Lara came through all youth divisions of Club Deportivo El Nacional, where he played until mid-2006, when he was loaned to Al-Wakrah SC of Qatar. With El Nacional, he competed from 1998, the year he made his debut in Ecuador’s top division, and remained at the club until 2006. During this period, he scored a goal in the 2001 Copa Libertadores against River Plate. He also scored a goal in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Argentina, in a 2–0 victory for Ecuador. After his time at El Nacional, he had a brief international spell with Al-Wakrah SC in Qatar. In 2007, he returned to Ecuador to join Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito, with whom he won the Ecuadorian league title that same year. He later played for Barcelona Sporting Club (2008) and Deportivo Pereira in Colombia (2009). That same year, he returned to Liga de Quito, where he was part of the squad that won the 2009 Copa Sudamericana, the 2009 and 2010 Recopa Sudamericana, and the 2010 Ecuadorian championship. In 2011, he returned to Club Deportivo El Nacional. That same year, a possible transfer to the Indian club Euro Musketeers was reported, although it did not materialize. In 2012, he joined Real Cartagena in Colombia, after having played in clubs in Ecuador, Qatar, and Deportivo Pereira. In 2017, he played for Mexican club Dorados de Sinaloa, where he had a brief spell before returning to Ecuador. In 2022, he returned to football after retirement, joining Sociedad Deportiva Rayo in Ecuador’s Segunda…

Lara was an international for the Ecuador national team, earning 28 caps and scoring four goals. He was part of the squad that competed in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. During the South American qualifiers, he scored a goal in Ecuador’s 2–0 victory over Argentina in 2005.

Club

As of 29 June 2018