Moises Caicedo is a name on everyone’s lips right now in the world of football, with the midfielder, who turns 21 next month, among the brightest talents in the English Premier League. He has attracted the attention of the biggest teams in Europe, eager to acquire the services of one of the hottest young prospects on the global market. Caicedo is also about to take centre stage at the FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022, where he will feature as a key part of an Ecuador side set to battle it out against the hosts in the opening match. The fortunes of La Tri, a team that could well turn out to be competition dark horses, rest firmly on his shoulders. As the big kick-off approaches, the leading member of a young and talented Ecuadorian generation spoke to FIFA+ to discuss his growth as a player and La Tri’s hopes of success.
How does it feel now that the World Cup is just around the corner?
I’m very happy. Honestly, we still can’t believe we’re in a World Cup, that we’re going to be the team that kicks off the tournament, and we’re really pumped about that. We’re working very hard, both at our individual clubs and with the national team, which is a real joy. There’s a great sense of responsibility but it’s an incredible experience. It’s a really good group, everyone’s very upbeat. We’re a very united bunch of young players. We’re always there for each other, supporting each other. We’re enjoying it, giving it everything we have, every day and in every training session. Our goal is to make it Ecuador’s most successful World Cup of all time.
You started out as a defensive midfielder and went on to play as a No8 under Miguel Angel Ramirez at Independiente del Valle. How did you cope with that transition?
In actual fact, I started playing in that position way before Miguel Angel came in, but he gave me the confidence to really make it my own. That’s when I started to see the evolution, when he started playing me there, he gave me a lot of freedom. The coach of the national team was like Miguel Angel when I started playing with them too: he gave me a lot of license to attack, to move around. That really helped me develop my game, to be myself. I’m not a player that likes to be static - I like to move, to have the ball, to help the team, to press. They allowed me to do that and that’s why I progressed so quickly.
What’s been the most surprising part of this journey for you personally?
The fact that, at such a young age, I’m able to carry the team on my shoulders. I feel I can handle that responsibility, handle it all being on me and my will to succeed, and I like challenges. I think that when it comes to it and I have to step up to take the lead, I’ll be able to do it. I know my team-mates will support me.
When we spoke to Miguel Angel [Ramirez], he talked about your capacity for quiet leadership. He described you as quiet but ferocious. Would you agree with that?
Yes, that’s fair to say. As Miguel Angel said, I’m a person that doesn’t say much, even off the pitch, but on the field I’m a player who likes to go for all the 50-50 balls, all the loose balls, ready to steal, to press, for everything. And when my team-mates see me doing that I think it prompts them to do the same. And that can take us a long way.
Is there much difference between the way you play with Brighton and the national team?
Quite a bit to be honest. I have to stick to my position more when I’m playing with Brighton, but here with the national team there’s more opportunity to go and ask for the ball. So, I think my team-mates give me confidence and I’m able to show how much I can do. I think I stick to my position more with Brighton. It’s more about attacking into empty spaces rather than falling back to ask for the ball.
You’ve said that you’re working to become one of the best in the world. There are a lot of people who would already include you as part of that group, but what is it that you still feel is missing?
Honestly, in my view there are always things you can work to improve. I can’t think of anything specific right now. I like it when a coach says, ‘You’re missing this’, and then I really focus on working on that, improving it, and I work at it until I have it. It’s something I spoke to ‘El Profe’ Alfaro about before leaving Ecuador, before I went to the Premier League. He told me that I needed to work on certain things to succeed as a Premier League player, in one of the best leagues in the world. And I was able to work on them, and that helped me get to the Premier League, to where I am now. There are always things you can work on and I’m improving all the time. I watch a lot of football to try and learn. I watch other great players and try to learn things from them. I spend time working on certain things, improving so that I can become the complete player I want to be.
What was it that Alfaro flagged up in particular?
He said I needed to be a player that plays through passes, that wins loose balls, that asks for the ball and isn’t afraid to get hold of it. And I worked and worked on those things and that’s what got me signed by a team like Brighton.
What’s your take on your World Cup group and your chances of going through?
We know we’re up against three very tough teams. All the teams are very competitive but we’ve been drawn against some very strong contenders. But, as I say, we’re already working towards it. We want to do well in the World Cup, we’re studying the teams, we’re really excited to be in a group with Qatar, Senegal and the Netherlands. They’re very strong teams and we know that it will be a very challenging group stage. We’re preparing for that, to go all out in those three games and to get Ecuador to the top and go through to the next round.
And finally: an ambition for the coming months?
To have a great World Cup playing with Ecuador, the best of all time. I don’t mean just getting through to the quarter-finals, I’m saying to have a great World Cup. My dream is to make it an incredible World Cup, to get the whole world talking about Ecuador and I’m certain that’s what we’ll do.Moises Caicedo is one of the brightest prospect on the planet. He talks about Ecuador’s hopes of
success at Qatar 2022. The Brighton midfielder wants his country’s
best-ever FIFA World Cup