Introduction:

Soccer is a complex acyclic discipline, which is particularly demanding of very high physical aptitudes.

Aim:

To determine the anthropometric characteristics, body composition, and somatotype to unveil the morphological profile of professional Ecuadoran soccer players, and compare them according to the game positions.

Materials and methods:

An observational-descriptive study was conducted. A number of 73 Ecuadoran professional soccer players were evaluated, including seven goalkeepers, 25 defenders, 29 wingers, and 12 attackers. The international ISAK protocol was performed for measurements, with optimally calibrated equipment. An ANOVA was performed to describe the information, and a Student-T test was conducted to verify the significant differences (p<0.05) by game position.

Results:

Significant differences (p<0.05) were observed among the different game positions, especially between the goalkeepers and the other players. Compared to the international players, the Ecuadorans differed in terms of basic measurements and muscle mass. The other variables were similar.

Conclusions:

The anthropometric characteristics, body composition, and somatotype of professional Ecuadoran soccer players by position and overall average were determined. There were significant differences among the variables studied by game position. The Ecuadoran soccer players have different basic metrics from the group of international players, with lower muscle mass. Concerning fat, sum of 6 skinfold thickness, muscle-bone index, and somatotype, the similarities were remarkable.

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