- Since taking charge at the end of 2025, Joaquín Papa has forged a special bond with the Independiente del Valle supporters through hard work, humility and results to back it up.
- On their way to the CONMEBOL Libertadores quarter-finals, where they will face reigning champions Flamengo, the Ecuadorian side have recorded six wins, one draw and just one defeat.
In just a handful of matches at the helm of the 'Matagigantes', Uruguayan manager Papa has already stamped his mark on the side: he has increased his team's influence through possession, with the aim of imposing themselves on opponents through build-up play and combinations after winning the ball back quickly.
From the Uruguayan youth game to glory with Liverpool
Papa began his journey in the youth ranks of his native country, taking his first steps at Albion before moving on to Racing Montevideo and Montevideo Wanderers. He then joined Nacional — three-time winners of the CONMEBOL Libertadores — as a video analyst.
His first experience as a manager came at Rentistas in the second tier of Uruguayan football, where he oversaw 17 matches before moving to Spain to join his compatriot Paulo Pezzolano's coaching staff at Real Valladolid.
Uruguayan club Liverpool offered him the chance to take charge of the first team at the end of 2024, and the decision gave his career an unexpected turn: he guided the side to the 2025 Torneo Apertura title.
Independiente del Valle and the challenge of competing on the international stage
At the age of 39, Papa took the reins at Independiente del Valle with the challenge of managing domestic commitments alongside a clear focus on the Eternal Glory, the only trophy still missing from the Ecuadorian club's cabinet — they won the CONMEBOL Sudamericana in 2019 and 2020 and the CONMEBOL Recopa in 2023.
They came through the Group Stage alongside Rosario Central, Venezuela's Universidad Central and Paraguay's Libertad with four wins, one draw and just one defeat. In the Round of 16, they secured a 1-0 away win over Deportes Tolima before closing out the tie with authority, winning 3-1 in Quito and earning the chance to continue making history against reigning champions Flamengo in the quarter-finals.
From a purely statistical perspective, Joaquín Papa's numbers at Independiente del Valle are remarkable: he will go into the clash with 'Mengão' having managed 40 matches, recording 32 wins, three draws and five defeats.
Furthermore, between 28 May and 26 August, he put together a run of 16 consecutive victories across the domestic league, the Copa Ecuador and the CONMEBOL Libertadores.
