Ecuador star Keny Arroyo criticizes Beccacece after World Cup exclusion

Keny Arroyo said Sebastián Beccacece made the wrong call by leaving him out of Ecuador’s squad for the 2026 World Cup, despite his continued effort and attacking numbers.

Speaking to DirecTV, the Cruzeiro winger acknowledged that Beccacece had given him his Ecuador debut. He nevertheless criticized the coach’s selection policy, saying the World Cup squad should have included players in the best current form rather than those who had simply been part of the coach’s process.

Arroyo has strengthened his case with Cruzeiro in Brazil. He scored three goals in his last five matches, including goals against Flamengo in the Copa Libertadores round of 16 and the Brasileirao. He also scored against Atlético Mineiro with a shot from outside the area.

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As he said: ‘I will take players from the process.’ And I kept working hard, scoring goals and providing assists. I thought his decision was very wrong.

The 20-year-old played eight matches in August and has seven goals and three assists in 40 appearances for Cruzeiro in 2026. He has not returned to Ecuador’s national team since his first call-up, having last played for the side in November 2024 and last received a call-up in March 2025.

Ecuador may soon have a new coach. Argentine outlets reported that Marcelo Gallardo had reached an agreement with the Ecuadorian Football Federation and only needed to sign, while the federation itself had not made the appointment official. The job would be Gallardo’s first as a national-team coach after spells with Nacional, River Plate and Al-Ittihad.

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For a national team, you should take the players who are doing well, not those who have been with you in a process.