Juan Riquelme Ángulo is turning a productive season at Independiente del Valle into bigger ambitions. The young center forward has six goals and two assists in 22 matches this season, and he says he is happy with his moment at the club while also setting his sights on the Ecuador national team and, eventually, Real Madrid.
Speaking in an interview for StudioFútbol Radio, Ángulo said he wants to keep progressing step by step with Ecuador. His message was simple: he wants to become the No. 9 the national team has been waiting for. That is a significant statement for a player still building his profile, but it fits the trajectory of a forward who has already started to contribute regularly for Independiente del Valle.
A young forward with growing responsibility
Ángulo’s current numbers show real progress. Six goals and two assists in 22 matches is a useful return for a player who is still being developed, and his comments suggest he is comfortable with the role he is playing now. He also said he likes to play as a winger even though he is a striker, pointing to the speed that helps him operate in wider areas and the minutes he has been able to collect in that position.
He also credited the people around him at Independiente del Valle. Ángulo said coach Joaquín Papa is attentive to everything, and he mentioned that he learns from Charlie González and Djorkaeff Reasco. For a young attacker, that kind of daily environment matters just as much as the numbers on the page.
Ecuador ambition, Real Madrid dream
The biggest takeaway from Ángulo’s comments is how clearly he is thinking about the future. On the national-team side, he said he would love to be the Ecuador No. 9 that everyone expects. On the club side, he said he would like to play in Europe and, because he admired Cristiano Ronaldo growing up and used him more in Play, he would especially like to play for Real Madrid.
That does not change his immediate job, of course. Independiente del Valle still has important matches ahead, starting with Universidad Católica on Saturday 29 August at 13:00 at Banco Guayaquil stadium in Quito. After that comes the bigger stage: Flamengo in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals on 10 September in Quito, followed by the return leg in Brazil on 17 September.
For now, Ángulo’s season is best understood as a promising snapshot rather than a finished product. The production is there, the confidence is growing, and the ambition is already moving beyond Ecuador. That combination is what makes his next steps worth watching.
