Ecuador defender Mario Pineida killed in drive-by shooting | OneFootball

Defender was with his mother when attacked outside a shop

Ecuador defender Mario Pineida has been shot dead in a drive-by shooting.

Local media reports that Pineida, 33, his mother and another woman were targeted by two people on motorbikes while standing outside a shop.

Pineida's death has been confirmed by Ecuador's Interior Ministry and the defender's current club, Barcelona de Guayaquil, have released a statement.

The shooting is the latest incident of footballers being attacked in Guayaquil. In September, three second-tier footballers were killed, and a fourth in October was wounded in a shooting.

Pineida had won nine caps for Ecuador, the most recent coming in 2021.

He started his career at Independiente del Valle in 2010 before moving to Guayaquil in 2016. He briefly played on loan in Brazil, for giants Fluminense.

Independiente and Fluminense have both paid tribute to Pineida on social media.

The Ecuadorian Football Federation has issued a statement condemning the violence.

Ecuador is expected to record its most violent year on record, surpassing 9,000 murders for the first time, according to the Ecuadorian Observatory of Organized Crime.

Guayaquil is considered the epicentre of gang violence, with 1,900 murders recorded between January and September.