Jefferson Antonio Montero Vite (; born 1 September 1989) is an Ecuadorian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays as a winger for

Ecuadorian Serie A The Liga Pro Betcris, simply known as the Liga Pro, or the Serie A, is a professional football league in Ecuador. At the top of the Ecuadorian football league system, it is the country's premier football competition. Contested by sixteen clubs, i ...

club S.D. Aucas. He has represented the Ecuador national team at senior international level.

Club career

Early years

Born in Babahoyo,

Los Ríos Province Los Ríos () is a province in Ecuador. The capital is Babahoyo. The province was founded on October 6, 1860. Under legislative decree. Babahoyo was made its capital on September 30, 1948. Demographics Ethnic groups as of the Ecuadorian census o ...

, Montero started playing professionally with Emelec, but first impressed whilst at Independiente José Teran in the

Ecuadorian Serie B The Primera Categoría Serie B, shortened to Serie B or Primera B, is a professional football league in Ecuador. It is in the second tier of the Ecuadorian football league system. Currently contested by ten clubs, it operates a system of promotion ...

. Shortly after arriving he was loaned to Mexican club

Dorados de Sinaloa Dorados de Sinaloa, or Dorados, is a Mexican professional football club based on Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico. History Dorados de Sinaloa was founded on August 9, 2003. The Dorados was the youngest team to play on First Division de México, hav ...

, which was pushing for promotion to the Liga MX. He signed alongside compatriot José Madrid, and made his official debut for his new team on 11 October 2008 by playing the entire match against

Irapuato Irapuato is a Mexican city (and municipality) located at the foot of the Arandas Hill (in Spanish: ''Cerro de Arandas''), in the central region of the state of Guanajuato. It lies between the Silao River and the Guanajuato River, a tributary of ...

Villarreal

On 27 April 2009,

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...

club

Villarreal Villarreal ( ca-valencia , Vila-real) is a city and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain. The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's ...

signed the 20-year-old Montero to a five-year contract effective from July. He contributed two goals and five assists as the

Valencians Valencians ( va, valencians) are the native people of the Valencian Community, in eastern Spain. Legally, Valencians are the inhabitants of the community. Since 2006, the Valencian people are officially recognised in the Valencian Statute of Au ...

trounced amateurs Navata 27–0 in a

pre-season friendly An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

. He made his competitive debut for the senior side in the Europa League round of 32 in February 2010, replacing

Robert Pires Robert Emmanuel Pires (born 29 October 1973) is a French football coach and former professional player. Pires played for French clubs Metz and Marseille prior to his time with Arsenal, where he won two FA Cups and two Premier League titles inclu ...

with 20 minutes left as Villarreal were eliminated by

Wolfsburg Wolfsburg (; Eastphalian: ''Wulfsborg'') is the fifth largest city in the German state of Lower Saxony, located on the river Aller. It lies about east of Hanover and west of Berlin. Wolfsburg is famous as the location of Volkswagen AG's he ...

, but spent the vast majority of his first season with the reserves as one of their most important attacking elements as they overachieved to finish seventh in their first season in the Segunda División. Subsequently, Montero was promoted to the main squad as a complement for the more experienced

Santi Cazorla Santiago "Santi" Cazorla González (; born 13 December 1984) is a Spanish professional footballer. A former Spanish international, Cazorla operated primarily as an attacking midfielder, but also played as a winger, central midfielder or as a ...

and Cani. He made his top-flight debut in the opening fixture of the

2010–11 La Liga The 2010–11 La Liga season (known as the ''Liga BBVA'' for sponsorship reasons) was the 80th since its establishment. The campaign began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011. A total of 20 teams contested the league, 17 of which already ...

season, replacing Cani in a 0–1 loss at Real Sociedad. Montero failed to find a regular first-team place at Villarreal, and moved to another La Liga club, Levante, in late January 2011 on loan for the rest of the season. He spent the following season on loan at another top-flight club, the newly promoted

Real Betis Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () or just Betis, is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1907, it plays in La Liga. It holds home games at the Estadio Benito Vill ...

. He scored his first goal of the campaign on 10 March 2012 in a 2–3 home defeat against Real Madrid. He was first choice throughout most of his tenure with the

Pepe Mel José "Pepe" Mel Pérez (born 28 February 1963) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a striker, currently a manager. He amassed Segunda División totals of 215 matches and 78 goals over eight seasons, for Real Madrid Castilla, Castell ...

-led squad, who managed to retain their league status.

Morelia

On 15 June 2012, Montero was transferred to Monarcas Morelia of the Mexican top flight, on a three-year deal. He scored his first goal on 15 July against Club América, as well as making two assists. On 21 August, in the

Copa MX The Copa MX (formerly called Copa Tower Monterrey, Copa Eliminatoria, Copa México and Copa Corona MX (for sponsorship reasons)) was a Mexican football cup competition that was established in 1907. After a lengthy hiatus that began in 1997, it wa ...

contest against his former team Dorados, he scored a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

in a 6–0 win. On 4 January 2013, Montero scored the opening goal of the Clausura, in a 3–3 home draw against

Cruz Azul Club de Futbol Cruz Azul or simply Cruz Azul () is a professional football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in the Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. Because "azul" means "blue" in Spanish, the club has traditionally ...

, assisted by international team-mate Joao Rojas. After Rojas left Morelia, Montero was given the number 10 shirt, starting off the new campaign on 19 July with a goal and two assists in a 3–1 victory over Querétaro. His hat-trick the following weekend was in vain, as Morelia lost 4–3 at home to

Toluca Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. With a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census, Toluca is the fifth most populous city in Mexico. The city f ...

. He scored the opening goal in the Apertura 2013 Copa MX Final in which Morelia beat

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on penalties after the match finished as a 3–3 draw.

Swansea City

On 24 July 2014, Montero signed for

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

team Swansea City on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee. He made his competitive debut on 16 August in the opening game of the season at Old Trafford, replacing Nathan Dyer after 67 minutes of a 2–1 win over Manchester United. Montero joined Spanish top-division club

Getafe Getafe () is a municipality and a city in Spain belonging to the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 180,747, the region's sixth most populated municipality. Getafe is located 13 km south of Madrid's city centre, within a flat ar ...

on 1 September 2017 on loan for the season. In his first match of the

2017–18 La Liga The 2017–18 La Liga season, also known as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, was the 87th since its establishment. The season began on 18 August 2017 and concluded on 20 May 2018. The fixtures were released on 21 July 2017. Real Madrid ...

campaign 20 days later, he played for 15 minutes in a 1–1 away draw with

Celta Celta is Galician, Portuguese and Spanish for the Celts. It may also refer to: * Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA), an English teaching certificate * Celta (train), an international train service connecting Vigo and Port ...

. Having featured little for Getafe, Montero rejoined Emelec in late February 2018 where he completed his loan. On 2 June, he scored in the 3–0 victory against Técnico Universitario at

Estadio George Capwell Estadio Banco del Pacífico Capwell is a multi-purpose stadium in Guayaquil, Ecuador. It is currently used mostly for football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Un ...

, 11 years after his last goal for the club. In his post-match interview he said he was "very happy for today's victory and for scoring for my team after so many years, forever grateful to God". Montero made 13 substitute appearances for Swansea before joining 2018–19 Championship rivals

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...

on 31 January 2019 on loan for the rest of the season. He played just four times and started once, away to

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...

on 19 February, opening the scoring in a 3–2 win. After a delay while issues with the paperwork were resolved, Montero was confirmed to have joined Championship club

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...

on loan for the 2019–20 season. He made his debut on 20 August as a late substitute in the 2–0 win over Barnsley, and produced a "sparkling ten minute cameo" that earned him 7 out of 10 in the ''

Birmingham Mail The ''Birmingham Mail'' (branded the ''Black Country Mail'' in the Black Country) is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, England but distributed around Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull and parts of Warwickshire, Worcestershire a ...

'' player ratings. He started the next match, but suffered a thigh injury that kept him out for a couple of months. By the time the season was suspended because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, he had made 18 appearances in all competitions but only 2 league starts, and Birmingham chose not to attempt to extend his loan to the end of the campaign. He was released by Swansea when his contract expired on 30 June. On 20 November 2020, Montero returned to Mexico to join Liga MX side Querétaro.

International career

Montero represented

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

at the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic C ...

, and scored in the final match against

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

, a 2–1 win which brought the first international trophy in Ecuadorian football history. He received his first senior call-up from coach

Luis Fernando Suárez Luis Fernando Suárez Guzmán (born 23 December 1959) is a Colombian football manager and former player who played as a defender. He is the current manager of the Costa Rica national football team. Suárez has managed in six Latin American c ...

for an August 2007 friendly with Bolivia. Montero made his senior debut for Ecuador on 21 November 2007 in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier at home to

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

, coming on late in the second half in a 5–1 win. He scored his first goal for the national team on 27 May 2009, in a 1–3 friendly loss to El Salvador, and his second came in the reverse fixture with Peru in Lima, which Ecuador won 2–1. Montero was selected by national coach Reinaldo Rueda for his

2014 World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...

squad. He made his debut in the tournament on 15 June in a 1–2 group stage loss against Switzerland; he started and played 77 minutes.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

:''Scores and results list Ecuador's goal tally first.''

Honours

Club

Morelia *

: Apertura 2013

Country

Ecuador U20 * Pan American Games: 2007

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Montero, Jefferson 1989 births Living people People from Babahoyo Ecuadorian footballers Ecuador international footballers Association football wingers Ecuadorian Serie A players C.S. Emelec footballers C.S.D. Independiente del Valle footballers Liga MX players Dorados de Sinaloa footballers Atlético Morelia players Querétaro F.C. footballers La Liga players Segunda División players Villarreal CF B players Villarreal CF players Levante UD footballers Real Betis players Getafe CF footballers Premier League players English Football League players Swansea City A.F.C. players West Bromwich Albion F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players 2014 FIFA World Cup players 2015 Copa América players Copa América Centenario players Pan American Games competitors for Ecuador Footballers at the 2007 Pan American Games Ecuadorian expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Mexico Expatriate footballers in Spain Expatriate footballers in Wales Ecuadorian expatriate sportspeople in Mexico Ecuadorian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Ecuadorian expatriate sportspeople in the United Kingdom Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for Ecuador Pan American Games medalists in football 21st-century Ecuadorian people