Ecuadorian star Moises Caicedo anchors Chelsea's Champions League dreams against PSG, a pivotal clash marking a historic Ecuadorian duel.
The clash between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain will have a special appeal for Ecuador, with Moises Caicedo and Willian Pacho facing each other for the first time in the UEFA Champions League.
The midfielder has performed well in the initial stages of the Champions League. Caicedo started all eight league phase games for the London club, and in only two did he not complete the full 90 minutes: against AFC Ajax (49 min) and Qarabağ FK (82 min).
In total, he has logged 671 minutes in the tournament, with two goals: one against Ajax and another against Pafos FC. He played seven of those matches as a defensive midfielder, his usual position, while against Ajax, he was used as a right back, a game in which he also scored.
For the first leg against Paris Saint-Germain, everything points to him starting again in his natural position as a “No. 5,” a role in which he has established himself as the team’s linchpin, both under Liam Rosenior and in the previous process under Enzo Maresca.
In the 2025-26 season, across all competitions, Caicedo has played 37 games, with 5 goals and 1 assist in 3,053 minutes, figures that reflect his importance within the London team.
The Ecuadorian’s level has not gone unnoticed in England. Throughout the season, the British press has repeatedly highlighted his influence on Chelsea’s play, emphasizing his tactical intelligence, ability to recover the ball, and his evolution in distribution.
Even after some standout performances in the Champions League and the English league, his own coach Liam Rosenior went so far as to state that Caicedo is “the best midfielder in the world,” while various analyses in British media have labeled him the team’s “brain” and have stressed that his ability to pass the ball is “criminally underrated.”
With that backing and performance, the Ecuadorian midfielder will arrive at the clash against PSG as one of the players to watch in the tie, in a duel that will also mark the long-awaited meeting between two of the current figures of Ecuadorian football in Europe.
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