MOISES CAICEDO has always been a man on a crusade.
The Ecuador star has defied his youthful years by playing with a swagger and maturity on the pitch for Brighton since joining the Seagulls in 2021.
Moises Caicedo has been a Premier League revelation since leaving Ecuador
As a youngster, Caicedo dreamed of football stardom to support his family
The football pitch where Caicedo honed his skills in his hometown of Santa Domingo
That’s why Chelsea have agreed to pay a British record £115million fee to sign the midfielder after he snubbed Liverpool’s advances.
Caicedo, still only 21, began his dream in his hometown of Santa Domingo, where he borrowed boots to play for his local team, while playing on dirt pitches.
It was his dream to become a professional footballer.
It was also the youngest of ten siblings’ dream to support his family and give them a better life.
Which is why El Niño Moi, as he is nicknamed, left them behind to conquer the Premier League.
Schooled the right way
Caicedo’s skills first came to prominence in a soccer school in Mujer Trabajadora. It has a dusty pitch surrounded by housing, dirt track roads and has the Capilla Nuestra Señora Del Cine church overlooking it.
It’s a place where many live in poverty and many can fall into the wrong sort of life.
Gangs are rife – with robberies from criminals speeding around on bikes a daily occurrence.
But it was there Caicedo would meet his mentor, Ivan Guerra, who saw his protege’s brilliance from the age of five.
Guerra had his own professional career, before embarking on coaching.
“We didn’t have goalposts, so they would put down rocks on the street, sometimes play without shoes,” Guerra told The Times.
“I could see he had talent. So I invited him to the school.
“The kids pay a fee, but only if they can afford it. The family was very poor. Whenever we were playing in another city, he would always be the last one on the bus — he liked to sleep — but sometimes it was because he didn’t have money for the fare.
“I would cover the cost, knock on his door, tell him, ‘Let’s go!’ He didn’t have any boots. Sometimes friends would lend him theirs, or I would ask around to get a pair for him. But he was the best here. He would play anywhere — left, right, in midfield. If we were losing, he would say, ‘Put me in goal!’ He always wanted to be involved.”
Coming of age
By the time Caicedo was a promising teenager, bigger things beckoned.
He was picked to play for a Santa Domingo XI. While Espoli, who boasted an affiliation with amateur club Jaipadida, wanted him to play for them.
Cristina Vega RHORIvan Guerra was Caicedo’s first football coach[/caption]
Cristina Vega RHORGuerra is proud of what his protege has become[/caption]
But when Espoli were relegated, that affiliation was severed. Caicedo was left in limbo without a pathway to achieve football stardom.
It left him and his team-mates with no money to afford kit or registration fees.
However, one day a parent of one of Caicedo’s friends campaigned for his cause with Jaipadida director, Darwin Castillo.
He was accepted – with the club and the parent raising the money for him to play.
Caicedo had hit the big time. Five pitches, eight coaches and 350 players on their books.
Failure to launch
While training with Jaipadida, Caicedo had a trial with pro club Mushuc Runa.
But he was sent home just a week in because he was unable to afford the boarding fee or food.
In 2016, the powerhouse would finally get his move to a pro club.
Independiente del Valle signed him up following a successful trial.
Cristina Vega RHOREcuador giants Independiente del Valle boast incredible live-in facilities for their stars of tomorrow[/caption]
Cristina Vega RHORThey boast state-of-the-art changing rooms[/caption]
Cristina Vega RHORIndependiente’s pitches for youth football are flawless[/caption]
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His loyalty to Jaipadida still shone through, though.
Six months after signing for the Ecuadorian top flight side, he played for his old club in a tournament.
To dell Valle and back
Initially, Caicedo found it tough going at Independiente.
In fact, it was touch and go whether he would make it or not. And that wasn’t for ability.
Their High Performance Centre in Sangolquí brings with it a lot of demands on kids from 11-18.
It is where the aspiring future stars of Ecuador football live, eat, train and study together.
Galo Rodriguez, the club’s U16 manager, confirmed he had his doubts.
“Most of these kids come from very poor neighbourhoods,” he explained.
“Cities where drugs, theft, violence are part of daily life. When they arrive at Independiente, they suddenly have an ideal environment in which to live, three meals a day, structure. Dealing with that is in itself a huge challenge.
Caicedo dreamed of being a footballer – but suffered a blip in confidence early on at Independiente
Caicedo’s mum convinced her son to stick it out at Independiente
“Moisés almost left. He was sad. He wasn’t adapting. He wanted to go home. Many of the kids, coming from where they do, put up a shield, act quite aggressive, to establish their ground. And then you had Moisés, a very introspective, quiet, shy guy. We all tried to help him, but it was Moisés who had to overcome that.”
Caicedo even plead with his mum to let come home, but she told him: “You can’t, you’ve come this far.”
Immediate prominence
Driven by a determination to succeed, Caicedo starred for the club’s U20 side in the Copa Libertadores.
His form as a No5 saw him lead the Black and Blues to the final, where they overcame River Plate.
In 2020, his name reverberated around South America as a player to watch when he scored a stunning goal in a 5-0 rout of Brazil giants Flamengo.
Brighton, under the management of Graham Potter, moved faster than Man Utd and Chelsea to secure his services for a paltry £4.5million.
GettyBy 2020, Caicedo was heralded as one of South America’s most promising talents[/caption]
ReutersJust two years after leaving Ecuador, Caicedo has now become the British record transfer[/caption]
Just three years later, and after excelling in the Premier League, it’s Mauricio Pochettino who believes Caicedo to be just what he needs to get Chelsea challenging again.
When he puts on that blue shirt at Stamford Bridge, with the sound of Harry J All Stars’ classic ‘The Liquidator’ ringing around him, it’ll be a far-cry from Santa Domingo. But, you’ll never imagine Caicedo will forget his roots.