Back on song: Arboleda in Ecuador pre-callup after Gallardo pardon | OneFootball

São Paulo center-back Robert Arboleda has returned to the radar of the Ecuador national team. The defender was included in the preliminary list drawn up by head coach Marcelo Gallardo for the friendlies during the next FIFA international window in September, when the neighboring country will face South Korea and Japan.

The player's recall marks a turnaround in his recent path with the national team.

Arboleda had been overlooked by previous coaching staffs and was even left out of Ecuador’s final squad for the 2026 World Cup.

The reason was an act of indiscipline. In March 2024, one day after Ecuador lost a friendly 2-0 to Italy in the United States, Arboleda was spotted at a nightclub in New York alongside 16-year-old midfielder Kendry Paez and forward Gonzalo Plata, now at Flamengo.

Arboleda claimed he was on free time, but the episode, revealed by the “La Data” page, proved costly for the defender, who responded sarcastically on social media. “From now on, on my days off, I’m going to start reading the Bible, because apparently I can’t even have fun,” he wrote on his social media accounts.

The Ecuadorian Football Federation then said the images went against the entity’s values and that it would review the case before the next call-up. The result was that Arboleda was never called up again to play for his country. Paez and Plata, on the other hand, continued to be called up regularly and were part of the World Cup squad.

Reintegration at Morumbi and a new cycle with Ecuador

The preliminary call-up comes at a time when the player is also rebuilding his relationship within the São Paulo setup. The center-back spent nearly a month “missing” in Ecuador, skipping training sessions without explaining his absence.

Before being reintegrated into the squad under Dorival Júnior’s coaching staff, Arboleda went through a period of internal turmoil at the club, remaining away from the daily routine at the training center for around 30 days.

After returning, he regained his place as an undisputed starter, even receiving public praise from Dorival and wearing the captain’s armband in the win over Bragantino on August 30 at Morumbi.

With the reshuffle in charge of the Ecuador national team and the arrival of Marcelo Gallardo, Arboleda has a new opportunity to compete for a place in the South American side’s international cycle.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.