Independiente del Valle, Flamengo's rival in the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores, is living its most dominant season in Ecuadorian football. In 2026, the team has 32 wins in 40 matches, scored 91 goals, and has an 82.5% efficiency rate, numbers that are already fueling the debate about which is the best Del Valle of all time.
The team is managed by coach Joaquín Papa and, despite the impressive numbers, still needs to transform the performance into titles to overcome other memorable teams in the history of the Ecuadorian club. The comparison is made with teams that won important titles, such as the squads that won the Copa Sul-Americana in 2019 and 2022, in addition to the team that was a Libertadores finalist in 2016.
According to journalist Víc... (incomplete name in the article), the current performance allows discussion about whether this is the best Independiente del Valle in history. The journalist highlighted the team's impressive consistency and stated that, football-wise, this team is at that level or even above the Sul-Americana championship teams or the Libertadores finalist of 2016.
