Ezequiel Ponce Martínez (; born 29 March 1997) is an Argentine professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

for

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

club

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Established on December 15, 2005, the club was founded after their fo ...

Club career

Newell's Old Boys

Ponce is a youth exponent from his hometown club

Newell's Old Boys Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys () is an Argentine sports club based in Rosario, Santa Fe. The club was founded on 3 November 1903, and is named after Isaac Newell of the English county of Kent, one of the pioneers of Argentine football. A ...

. Predictably, Ponce was snapped up by local club Newell's Old Boys at the age of eight, progressing through the youth set-up to eventually break into the senior squad in 2013. He made his league debut on 5 October 2013 against

Quilmes Quilmes () is a city on the coast of the Rio de la Plata, in the , on the southeast end of the Greater Buenos Aires, being some away from the urban centre area of Buenos Aires. The city was founded in 1666 and is the seat of the eponymous '' ...

in a 0–2 away win. At 16 March 2014, he scored his first league goal for the club against Racing Club in a 2–0 home win.

Roma

In August 2015, Italian club

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

announced the signing of Ponce from Newell's Old Boys for a fee of €4.2 million. Ponce started well with Roma by tallying three goals in the UEFA Youth League group stages, but disaster struck in December, as the striker received a torn ligament in his knee, which kept him on the sidelines for four months. He returned to action with a bang in the spring, playing in their reserve squad, winning the

Campionato Nazionale Primavera The Campionato Nazionale Primavera – Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti, was an Italian football youth competition. It is organised by the Lega Serie A and the participating teams that take part in Serie A and Serie B: the first edition was held in the 1 ...

and scoring nine goals in ten matches. He was also summoned to Roma's senior team without being given a chance on the pitch.

Loan to Granada

On 5 August 2016, Ponce was loaned to

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

club

Granada CF Granada Club de Fútbol (), known simply as Granada or ''"Graná"'', is a professional List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club based in the city of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, that currently plays in Segunda ...

for one year. Fifteen days later he scored on his club debut, in a 1–1 home draw against

Villarreal CF Villarreal Club de Fútbol, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D., usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Villarreal, in the Province of Castellón, Castellón province of easte ...

Loan to Lille

On 10 July 2017, after being identified by then Manager

Marcelo Bielsa Marcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera (, nicknamed ''El Loco Bielsa'' , meaning 'The Madman Bielsa'; born 21 July 1955) is an Argentine professional Association football, football manager who is the current manager of the Uruguay national football team ...

, Ponce was loaned to

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

club

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

. He made his debut in a 3–0 win against Nantes on 6 August 2017. He scored his first goal on 17 November in a 3–1 win against

AS Saint-Étienne Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire (), abbreviated as A.S.S.E. () and commonly known as Saint-Étienne, is a French professional football club based in Saint-Étienne, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The club was founded in 1933 and competes ...

Loan to AEK Athens

On 19 July 2018, Ponce was loaned to Greek

Super League Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...

club

AEK Athens A.E.K. (; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople'') is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelfeia, Attica. The club is more commonly known in European competitions as A.E.K. Athens. Establishe ...

for one year with a €6 million buy-out. Roma would be entitled to 30% of any resale, although the loan notes that can be eliminated if AEK pays an extra €1 million. The striker is a hard worker, but looking at aspects that need to be improved, he certainly has to start scoring more goals. When joining

AEK A.E.K. (; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople'') is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelfeia, Attica. The club is more commonly known in European competitions as A.E.K. Athens. Established ...

, Ponce pointed out his excitement at the opportunity to display his talents in the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

.'' "We all want to play in the Champions League; it’s our main goal. I am glad to be an AEK player, I’m impressed with the people I’ve met, and we must be a united team."'' he said. On 25 August 2018, he scored his first goal for the 2018–19 season in a 2–0 home win game against

PAS Giannina PAS Giannina Football Club (), or with its full name Panipirotikós Athlitikós Síllogos Giánnina (, ''Panepirotic Athletic Club Giannina'') is a Greek professional Association football, football club based in the city of Ioannina, the capita ...

as he was in the right place at the right time to convert a superb cross from

Marko Livaja Marko Livaja (; born 26 August 1993) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Hajduk Split. Livaja played for the Croatia national team from 2018 to 2023, scoring four goals in 21 matches. He was a part of the squad tha ...

. On 16 September 2018, he scored in a 4–0 home win game against

Panionios Panionios G.S.S. Football Club (Greek: ΠΑΕ Πανιώνιος Γ.Σ.Σ.), the ''Pan-Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'' (Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis''), ...

from close range after

Petros Mantalos Petros Mantalos (; born 31 August 1991) is a Greek international football player, who plays as an attacking midfielder for AEK Athens and the Greece national team. Club career Skoda Xanthi Petros Mantalos began playing professional football f ...

sweet and precise cross. On 29 September 2018, Ponce scored his third goal for the club in an away match against OFI, after the ball ricocheted of his body and ended up in the unguarded net to seal a 3–0 away win. On 28 October 2018, the on-loan Roma forward netted a double within six second-half minutes in a hammering 4–0 home win game against

Aris Thessaloniki Athlitikos Syllogos Aris Thessalonikis, means Athletic Club Aris Thessaloniki (), is a major Greece, Greek multi-sport club founded on 25 March 1914 in Thessaloniki. Nicknamed ''God of War'', Aris was one of the strongest Greek clubs during t ...

. On 2 December 2018, he opened the score in a 2–0 home win against

Xanthi Xanthi is a city in the region of Western Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Xanthi regional unit of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Amphitheatrically built on the foot of Rhodope mountain chain, the city is divided ...

. On 8 December 2018, he scored with a wonderful volley, after

' excellent ball, in a 2–0 home win against

Lamia Lamia (; ), in ancient Greek mythology, was a child-eating monster and, in later tradition, was regarded as a type of night-haunting spirit or "daimon". In the earliest myths, Lamia was a beautiful queen of ancient Libya who had an affair with ...

. On 14 January 2019, Ponce rose highest to head home powerfully from a pin-point

Rodrigo Galo Rodrigo Galo Brito (born 19 September 1986) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a right-back. Career Early career In 2000, Rodrigo Galo joined the academy of club Juventus. He spent four years playing for the club's yo ...

corner, and there was still time for one more goal before half-time as Ponce rose to head home again in the third minute of added time from a great

's cross. On 20 January 2019, he netted with a penalty kick in a comfortable 3–0 home win game against

Asteras Tripolis Asteras Tripolis Football Club (), currently known as Asteras AKTOR for sponsorship reasons, commonly referred to as Asteras, is a Greek professional football club based in the city of Tripoli in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. Asteras Tripolis ...

. On 26 January 2019, he scored in the second minute of added time sealing a 2–0 away win against

. On 3 February 2019, the Argentinian winger continued his rich vein of scoring form in style, rising to meet a superb cross from

and glance the ball into the bottom left corner past the dive of

Alexandros Paschalakis Alexandros Paschalakis (; born 28 July 1989) is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Super League club Olympiacos and the Greece national team. Club career Early career Paschalakis started playing football in Terpsith ...

in a 1–1 draw in an absorbing derby clash at the

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports ...

. On 17 February 2019, he opened the score as AEK got off to a dream start in the third minute when

Viktor Klonaridis Dorian Victor Klonaridis (, born 28 July 1992) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger or a second striker for Greek Super League club Lamia. Career AEK Athens Klonaridis emerged from the AEK Athens academy as a young prodig ...

intercepted a pass from Olympiacos defender

Jagoš Vuković Jagoš Vuković (, ; born 10 June 1988) is a former Serbian professional footballer who last played as a defender for IMT in the Serbian SuperLiga. Vuković earned eight caps for Serbia from 2009 to 2017. Club career Born in Bačko Dobro ...

and the lightning fast winger surged forward and sent over a low cross which Olympiacos goalkeeper

José Sá José Pedro Malheiro de Sá (; born 17 January 1993) is a Portuguese professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for club Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., Wolverhampton Wanderers and ...

could only parry into the path of Ponce, who gleefully tapped home from close range. Eventually, AEK lost 4–1 against rivals

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...

in a derby for

next season. On 26 February 2019, the prolific Argentinian striker took aim from the edge of the penalty area, thumping a fierce half-volley into the left corner past the despairing dive of Christos Theodorakis and opened the score in a thriumphic 3–0 home

Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup (), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Betsson Greek Cup for sponsorship reasons is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second-most important domestic men's footba ...

game against rivals

Atromitos Atromitos (Greek: Ατρόμητος, "fearless") may refer to: * Atromitos F.C., a football team based in Peristeri, Greece * Atromitos Piraeus, a football team based in Piraeus, Greece * Atromitos Yeroskipou Atromitos Yeroskipou () was a Cy ...

. On 3 April 2019, he opened the score by finding space between the

's central defenders, as he met

’ pinpoint cross, confidently heading the ball into the right corner in a 2–0 Greek Cup semifinal 1st leg against

. Boasting 18 goals so far, he became the club's highest goalscorer in one specific season since fellow Argentinian player Ismael Blanco struck an incredible 24 goals for AEK in the 2008–09 season. On 7 April 2019, he scored when as he perfectly brought down

’s cross rifling a shot past

Živko Živković Živko Živković (Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, Serbian Cyrillic: Живко Живковић; born 14 April 1989) is a Serbian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Internation ...

in a final 3–1 away win game against

, a result which meant that the team had all but locked up third place in the Super League. On 25 April 2019, Ponce opened the score as

’s deflected effort struck the right post, but the prolific Argentinian striker was on hand to lash the ensuing rebound into the net in a hammering 4–0

away semi-final second-leg game against

. For the third consecutive year, AEK faced PAOK in the Greek Cup final, but once again fell short, losing 1–0 after Chuba Akpom scored the only goal of the match — marking PAOK’s third straight Cup final victory over AEK. On 5 May 2019, in the last matchday of the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

, scored in a 3–0 away win against

Levadiakos Levadiakos Football Club (officially romanized: ''Levadeiakos'' ) is a Greek professional football club that plays in the Super League Greece. Based in Livadeia, Greece, the club was promoted to the Alpha Ethniki, forerunner of the Super League, ...

Spartak Moscow

On 21 June 2019, he signed a long-term contract with the

Russian Premier League The Russian Premier League (RPL; , ''Rossiyskaya premyer-liga''; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is a professional association football league in Russia and the highest level of the Russian football league system. It was establis ...

club

Spartak Moscow Spartak Moscow may refer to the following teams based or formerly based in Moscow, Russia: * FC Spartak Moscow, an association football club * HC Spartak Moscow, a professional ice hockey team * Spartak GM Moscow, a semi-professional rugby club * ...

. In his fourth game for Spartak, he was sent off in the

derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

in the first half for striking the goalkeeper of

Dynamo Moscow MGO VFSO "Dynamo" (), commonly known as Dynamo Moscow (), is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. Founded by Felix Dzerzhinsky on 18 April 1923, Dynamo Moscow was the first institution created from the All-Union Dynamo Sports Club. Dynamo Mosco ...

, Anton Shunin, with a straight leg during a cross from his teammate.

Elche

On 31 January 2022, Ponce returned to Spain after agreeing to a loan deal with

Elche CF Elche Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional football club based in Elche, Province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community, Spain. Founded in 1923, the club will compete in La Liga for the 2025–26 season, holding home matches at ...

in the top tier. On 1 June 2022, Elche exercised the purchase option in the loan contract and signed a four-year contract with Ponce.

Return to AEK Athens

On 5 August 2023, Ponce returned to AEK Athens on a permanent move, signing a four-year contract. He signed for €3,500,000.

Houston Dynamo

On 17 June 2024, Ponce joined

club

, becoming the most expensive signing in club history.

International career

He was called up to the

2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 21st edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the biennial international men's youth football championship contested by the under-20 national teams of the member associations of FIFA, since its inception in 1977 a ...

for the summer of 2017. He started for

Argentina national under-20 football team The Argentina national under-20 Association football, football team is the representative of Argentina in FIFA-sponsored tournaments that pertain to that age level. Argentina is the most successful nation in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, winning the c ...

in the first match in a 3–0 defeat against

England national under-20 football team England national under-20 football team, also known as England Under-20s or England U20(s) or England Men's Elite Squad, represents England in association football at an under-20 age level and is controlled by the Football Association, the gov ...

Personal life

He holds Spanish citizenship.

Career statistics

Honors

Individual *2024 MLS Team of the Matchday: Matchday 30

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ponce, Ezequiel 1997 births Living people Footballers from Rosario, Santa Fe Argentine men's footballers Argentina men's under-20 international footballers Men's association football forwards Argentine Primera División players La Liga players Ligue 1 players Super League Greece players Russian Premier League players Newell's Old Boys footballers AS Roma players Granada CF footballers Lille OSC players AEK Athens F.C. players FC Spartak Moscow players Elche CF players Houston Dynamo FC players Argentine expatriate men's footballers Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Italy Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in France Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Expatriate men's footballers in Russia Naturalised citizens of Spain Spanish people of Argentine descent Sportspeople of Argentine descent Olympic footballers for Argentina Footballers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Designated Players (MLS) 21st-century Argentine sportsmen Major League Soccer players