Willian Pacho was just 18 years old when he took the field for the first time as a professional.
He did not know that, hours earlier, his mother Glenda Tenorio had died of cancer in Quinindé, Esmeraldas. His family decided not to tell him until the match was over: they wanted him to play that debut without the burden of the worst news of his life.
She was 51 years old. Since that day in November 2019, Pacho has worn the number 51 on every shirt he puts on, regardless of the club: Independiente del Valle, Royal Antwerp, PSG.
In 2025, he wore it when he lifted the Champions League with the Parisian team, and dedicated it to her. “This is for you”, he wrote in an intimate letter in which he finally told the whole story.
A number that no one in the stands fully understands, but that he never stops wearing.