Ecuadorian players bid farewell to Alfaro with multiple expressions of gratitude.

EFE

The players of the Ecuador national team overwhelmed Argentine coach Gustavo Alfaro with gratitude and good wishes after it was announced on Thursday that he will not continue as the coach of the Ecuadorian team.

On social media, numerous players thanked Alfaro for the time shared in the national team, where the coach built a close relationship with the players that was key to Ecuador's qualification for the 2022 World Cup.

"Thank you, 'coach,' for returning hope to an entire country and for the trust you placed in all of us. Success and blessings in your new challenge," wrote right-back Ángelo Preciado.

Another player who was also emphatic was central defender Piero Hincapié: "Thank you for giving me confidence and grateful for life for the opportunity. I hope everything goes well for you in your future projects."

Meanwhile, midfielder Moisés Caicedo stated that he has "a lot of respect and admiration" for Alfaro and thanked him before wishing him "all the best for the future," accompanied by a heart emoji.

"Thank you very much and good luck in the future to the 'coach' and the entire coaching staff," wrote left-back Pervis Estupiñán, current player for Brighton in English and former player for Villarreal in Spain.

The same sentiment was expressed by midfielder Jhegson Méndez. "Thank you for everything you did for us. Gustavo, all the best for what's to come. You were a gentleman," said the Sao Paulo player.

Argentine goalkeeper Hernán Galíndez, who became an Ecuadorian citizen and made his debut for the Ecuador national team under Alfaro's guidance, was more elaborate in his message. He thanked the coach for showing him that "nothing is impossible" in a long paragraph text.

"I sincerely hope that you can continue to transmit your teachings, because people like you are the ones who do good to football," wrote Galíndez, expressing his hope that life will cross their paths again.

"Perhaps we deserved more (in the World Cup), but since football doesn't know about deserving, that will remain in the background. What I'm sure of is that our country, our people, felt identified with this team, and that is invaluable to me," added the goalkeeper.

Others were more concise, like Jeremy Sarmiento, who bid farewell with a "thank you very much for everything, coach."

All the players who publicly said goodbye to Alfaro did so with photos where they appear with the coach while he gives them instructions or congratulates them for a victory or goal scored.

Alfaro's tenure as coach of Ecuador lasted just over two and a half years, since he arrived at the end of August 2020 to quickly assemble a team to compete in the South American qualifiers for the World Cup.

In record time, he built a base of young players who performed well in the qualifiers, securing direct qualification for the World Cup, where they were eliminated in the group stage. They have great potential for growth in the coming years.