Whether it’s his teammates, Chelsea supporters inside Stamford Bridge, or people on the streets of Ecuador, Moises Caicedo makes an impression wherever he goes. Now our midfield star wants to hit new heights.
Last season could not have finished any better for Caicedo. He was voted the Chelsea Player of the Year and the Chelsea Players’ Player of the year – no surprise there – and then crowned the campaign by getting his hands on two pieces of silverware.
The 23-year-old scored in the Conference League final and was named the third-best player at the Club World Cup, having been integral to our success.
Nobody deserved a holiday more than Caicedo, and when he went back home to Ecuador, he was mobbed by his compatriots, proud at witnessing one of their own make such an impact on the global stage.
‘People stopped me in the street, it was crazy, they were happy to see me, I could see on their faces,’ Caicedo smiles.
‘It was incredible seeing my country and how happy people were watching me win the Club World Cup. My family also are proud of me, and I enjoyed being there a lot.’
Now back at Cobham, Caicedo has retrained his focus on helping the team by playing to the best of his ability.
He is also emboldened by words of support from Enzo Maresca, who has regularly stated what a better side Chelsea are with Caicedo in it. ‘I appreciate that and it’s a motivation for me,’ he says, humbly. ‘It’s why I train every day even harder.’
Yet the midfielder has no intention of maintaining the same level of performance as last season. No, he wants to do more. It is the Caicedo way.
‘For sure I am going to try and play even better than last season,’ he stresses. ‘I have hunger for more. I have always said I don’t have limits; the sky is the limit. I am going to work hard to keep achieving a lot of things for this amazing club.
‘I just want to start the season really well. For sure, it will be an incredible and tough season also, because we know the Premier League is always tough, but we are going to do well.’
Caicedo is also excited about the prospect of playing in the Champions League for the first time.
He says: ‘It’s a dream come true and I am looking forward to it. It’s an amazing feeling when you are watching on TV. You can feel it is different. Everybody in the whole world is watching you. It’s another level, and now we are there, we want to do really well.’
And there is one player you can have no doubt will look right at home on the elite European stage: Moises Caicedo.