Ecuador defender Mario Pineida has died at the age of 33 after being shot in Guayaquil.
Local media reported that Pineida was shot on Wednesday by two people on motorbikes who opened fire on him, his mother and another woman outside a shop in the north of the city.
Ecuador’s interior ministry said it has sent a special police unit to investigate.
Guayaquil has become a hotspot for gang violence and drug trafficking, with 1,900 murders recorded between January and September – the highest in Ecuador.
Three second-tier footballers were killed in September and a local player was wounded in a shooting in October.
Pineida won nine caps for Ecuador between 2014 and 2021.
He began his club career at Independiente DV before moving to Barcelona SC in Guayaquil in 2016.
He also spent time on loan at Fluminese and El Nacional.
Independiente and Fluminese paid tribute to Pineida on social media, while Barcelona SC said “this unfortunate news makes all of us who are part of this institution deeply dismayed”.
In a statement, the Ecuadorian Football Federation condemned the violence and passed on condolences to Pineida’s family.