From starting football at the age of 5 on a small pitch in Durán, near Guayaquil, to inspiring the whole of Ecuador—this is how Kendry Páez’s life has changed. He has become a reality known as Dima since he joined Independiente del Valle at 10, in honour of Ángel Di María. It’s hard to believe, given that he is still only 17, but it’s a fact. The Ecuadorian scored in the win against Fiji, becoming the youngest player to score in the tournament at just 16 years and 22 days. At that age, life was very different for almost everyone.
Before facing Argentina in the Copa América quarter-finals, specifically against the real Dima, and with the South American qualifiers for 2026 just around the corner, Spanish coach Miguel Ángel Ramírez, who was the Director of Youth Football at Independiente del Valle and the first team manager from mid-2018 to late 2020, speaks with FIFA to delve deeper into the story of Kendry, who arrived at IDV at the age of 10 and is now in his final season before joining Chelsea.
Independiente del Valle operates with a consistent tactical structure across the club. Therefore, it is no surprise to see a selfie that Ramírez sent us with an 11-year-old Kendry watching one of the club’s youth teams: “We were watching a match together. When different categories played at the Independiente del Valle complex, the others would go to watch. Often, I would sit with the boys. It was a great moment as we talked about the game. By following the same training and playing model, they would discuss certain fundamentals when watching other categories. I don’t know how that photo came about, but we took a selfie without any particular intention. I don’t remember the exact story behind that moment.”
