Juan Carlos Espinoza Mercado (born 23 July 1987, in Machala) is an Ecuadorian professional football player who has played for the Ecuadorian club Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Loja, and in 2010 he joined Peruvian club Juan Aurich.
In January 2013, he was called into the 2013 South American Youth Championship for the Peruvian U20 team.
He played in four games under the name of Max Barrios Prado before it was reported that he had used false documentation that implied that the player was 17 years old.
[3] The Civil Registry of Ecuador released documentation showing that the player was 25 years old and married.
The rumors were initially reported by someone who claimed to be a friend of 'Maradona', the former player of Palma de Huacho and the apparent father of 'Max Barrios'.