But seven years in Mexican football have taught him to set his
Coach Gomez is working hard to play down expectations of Ecuador's first
World Cup campaign.
"We're going there to learn," is his mantra.
Fair enough, says Hurtado, "but that doesn't mean that we're only going to make
up the numbers.
"Obviously it will be difficult. But we've earned the right
to be there, and so we have to make sure we are respected."
He sees no chance of stage fright when the big day finally comes.
"Before every game we played in qualifying we were told that this was the big one,
the historic match.
"It happened so much that we got used to it."
It is just as well that Hurtado is unlikely to be overawed. Fate has
reserved a daunting challenge for him in Ecuador's World Cup opener.
Three-times champions Italy are Ecuador's first opponents. So Hurtado will
have to organise the defence to cancel out Christian Vieri, Italy's most
At full fitness, Vieri is better in the air and more dynamic on the ground
than Hurtado and either of his likely centre-back partners, the rugged
Augusto Poroso and the gangling Giovany Espinoza.
Stopping him will require
the application of all of Hurtado's intelligence.
It will need sound
positioning, to force Vieri into unthreatening areas, well-timed tackling to
win possession of the ball, and quality distribution to take the pressure
off the defence and set Ecuador's attacks in motion.
Hurtado showed in qualifying that he has all these characteristics. The
marathon programme was a triumph for the 27-year-old defender.