Inside the eight-year journey that made Moises Caicedo Chelsea’s unassuming superstar

In the basement restaurant of a swanky establishment in London’s Sloane Square, the table rose to welcome Moisés Caicedo, who had just scored his first Chelsea goal in the final game of the Premier League season.

All of Caicedo’s friends and associates present had his spectacular strike from the halfway line against Bournemouth ready on their phones to replay to him as they congratulated him on a stunning end to the 2023-24 campaign.

There were warm embraces and handshakes, but Caicedo, dressed in a Chelsea tracksuit, is said to have been bashful in the way he accepted the acclaim and appeared far more comfortable when the table returned to their seats, the food arrived and attention turned from him. While most of the guests sipped expensive cocktails, he nursed a glass of water.

That sums up Caicedo, Chelsea’s unassuming superstar. He would have been similarly reluctant to show off about his second goal for the club that was almost as spectacular as his first – a volley in last Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Manchester United that came a day after his 23rd birthday.

Caicedo and his long-term girlfriend Paola Salazar are expecting their first child later this month, and it is family, rather than fame and fortune, that is at the forefront of his mind.

Those who worked with N’Golo Kanté at Chelsea see similarities in the character of Caicedo and believe the club once again have one of the best midfielders in the world – thanks in part to a tip-off from former Manchester United and Wigan Athletic winger Antonio Valencia.

Chelsea’s sporting director Paul Winstanley and director of global recruitment Sam Jewell were working together at Brighton and scouting players in Ecuador when Winstanley got the call from Valencia to go and watch a 15-year-old named Caicedo.

Winstanley knew Valencia from their time together at Wigan and he and Jewell made regular trips to Ecuador to watch Caicedo and get to know him after following up on the recommendation.

It was in February 2021 that Winstanley and Jewell signed Caicedo for Brighton, but the player’s path to the Premier League was anything but smooth.

As a teenager, Caicedo had worried that he may never get a chance to show off his talent. Promising performances for local team Colorados Jaipadida, whom he joined as a 13-year-old, earned him a trial at professional club Mushuc Runa. But that was cancelled after a week because Caicedo and his family were unable to pay for food or board.

Then, a year after successfully passing a trial at Independiente del Valle, Caicedo suffered a ruptured cruciate knee ligament in 2017 that required a number of surgeries and left him fearing that he may never play football again.

Once at Brighton, Caicedo initially struggled with the language and was so unhappy at being sent on loan to Belgian club Beerschot that he made tearful calls to friends, family and colleagues saying that he wanted to give up on his dream and return to Ecuador.

But, the youngest of 10 siblings described by friends as a ‘favela boy’ in recognition of his poor upbringing in Santo Domingo, where goals were marked out by piles of stones and his football boots were paid for by a local coach, Caicedo is used to having to do things the hard way.

He got through the Beerschot loan, which he still does not look back on with much fondness, and undertook an English course provided by Brighton that finally helped him to acclimatise. He remains in contact with his teacher, known simply as Matt, who he still invites to Chelsea games.

An injury to Yves Bissouma at the end of the 2021-22 season gave Caicedo his big chance and he grasped it so firmly that Brighton agreed to sell Bissouma to Tottenham Hotspur that summer and Caicedo was made a first-team regular.

Had Brighton accepted Arsenal’s January 2023 bid for Caicedo, which eventually reached £70 million, then the midfielder could be lining up for this weekend’s opponents but his dream had always been clear – to play for Chelsea and follow in the footsteps of his idol Kanté.

Mikel Arteta and Edu drove Arsenal’s move for Caicedo together and managed to impress the player, even though the expectation had been that Chelsea would have made a move of their own had Brighton accepted an offer.

Arsenal’s Jorginho move opened door at Chelsea

Brighton owner Tony Bloom was adamant that Caicedo would not be sold during that transfer window and Arsenal instead completed a late deal for Jorginho, whose move helped to create space in the squad and on the wage bill for Chelsea to bid for their No 1 target during the next summer window.

Arsenal’s interest shifted to Declan Rice, whom Chelsea discussed alongside Caicedo. While there was acknowledgement that Rice had a bigger personality and could be a leader of the young squad the club were building, Caicedo was deemed to be the better all-round talent.

It was also significant that Caicedo would fit better into Chelsea’s wage structure than Rice, who is believed to earn almost double the value of the Ecuador international’s Stamford Bridge contract.

Chelsea broke the British transfer record to sign Caicedo last summer, finally agreeing a deal worth £115 million, but the total package including wages was significantly smaller than Arsenal committed to for Rice, whose transfer fee was worth £105 million.

Caicedo’s determination to play for Chelsea was underlined when Liverpool made a late attempt to hijack their bid. Jurgen Klopp and his former Brighton team-mate Alexis Mac Allister made calls to try to turn his head, but both men were told that he only wanted to move to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea’s successful pursuit was undoubtedly aided by the presence of Winstanley, who has demonstrated unwavering belief in Caicedo’s ability ever since first watching him in Ecuador on Valencia’s advice.

Rice, who was released by Chelsea as a 14-year-old, has been an excellent signing for Arsenal, just as Caicedo is proving to be following a tough start at Stamford Bridge.

Not only did Caicedo miss pre-season training last year because of the protracted nature of his move to Chelsea, but he also had to deal with the unrest in Ecuador.

Fears over safety of mother

He was warned that, as a high-profile footballer, he and his family could be targeted by criminal organisations. His mother, Carmen Corozo, was flown to England to help allay his fears over her safety and Chelsea offered to pay for round-the-clock security.

While the situation has calmed, tensions remain in Ecuador and Caicedo is aware that he and his family remain potential targets, which makes his current form all the more remarkable.

During some of his more difficult early moments at Chelsea, Caicedo was reminded of his struggles at Beerschot and the challenges he had already faced and come through.

It is hard to identify the exact turning point in Caicedo’s performances, but from February onwards he has been superb and his season-ending goal against Bournemouth served as notice for the standard he has set so far this term.

Cole Palmer may have been the man to grab the headlines, but Caicedo has arguably been more consistent across all of Chelsea’s games this season. It is instructive that some club insiders believe that it is Caicedo whom head coach Enzo Maresca would find impossible to replace.

Next to Romeo Lavia, who has returned from injury this season, Caicedo can operate as a No 8, winning the ball back higher up the pitch and showcasing more of his natural ability that saw him start out as a forward – just as Kanté did.

When Enzo Fernández plays, Caicedo has to operate as more of a traditional six, but whether he is starting deeper or with more licence to get forward, Chelsea do not have another player with his physical attributes and skills.

Just like Kanté, Caicedo likes to let his football do the talking. But, on his current trajectory, the club’s latest unassuming superstar will have to put up with bigger and wider-reaching acclaim than that he received in the Sloane Square restaurant in May.