Willian Pacho grew up in Quinindé, Ecuador, and began his career at Independiente del Valle, one of South America’s most productive academies. He moved to Belgium with Royal Antwerp, where he won the league and cup double in 2022/23.
A season at Eintracht Frankfurt confirmed him as a strong, quick left-sided centre-back, and Paris Saint-Germain signed him in 2024. He adapted immediately, becoming a regular alongside Marquinhos as PSG won Ligue 1 and the Champions League in his first season.
Pacho is left-footed, aggressive in the duel and fast enough to defend a high line, which makes him well suited to Luis Enrique’s pressing game. He is also a regular for Ecuador.
Playing style
Pacho is a physically dominant, left-footed centre-back. He is quick, strong and aggressive in the duel, and he defends well both in his own box and when defending space behind a high line. With the ball he is calm and accurate, rarely losing possession, which suits PSG’s patient build-up. His ability to play on the left of a back four or three gives balance to the defence. In his first season in Paris he became one of the Champions League’s most reliable defenders.
International career
Pacho made his Ecuador debut in 2023 and has become a regular starter. He played at the 2024 Copa América, where Ecuador reached the quarter-finals, and was part of the squad that qualified for the 2026 World Cup.
Career in numbers
Across 9 seasons of senior club football, beginning in 2019, Pacho has played 246 matches and scored 2 goals for 4 clubs. His busiest campaign was 2024/25, with 57 appearances. So far in 2026/27 he has made 8 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain. The full season-by-season record is in the Stats section of this profile.