It was between the small, tightly packed houses of a working-class Ecuadorian neighborhood that Moisés Caicedo raised his first trophies, golden plastic cups lent by a neighbor to give a taste of victory to a group of children.

From that time remains a photo carefully preserved by Jeremy Cedeño, childhood friend of the Chelsea defensive midfielder who at 24 years old is playing in his second World Cup since June 11.

We see Caicedo kneeling, surrounded by five other young teammates, displaying a huge smile, his hands clutching the small trophy of the winners of this tournament in the popular neighborhood of Mujer Trabajadora, in the province of Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas (center).

"There wasn't even a referee... Oh my god, they were really going at it," Jeremy Cedeño recalled to AFP.

Caicedo displayed that same smile on his radiant face as he lifted the Club World Cup won with the Blues in the United States in July 2025. Around his waist, he had the Ecuadorian flag wrapped.

"We are super proud" of him, "because he comes from here, from the neighborhood, where he used to play barefoot," said Mr. Cedeño, a 24-year-old rescuer.

– Sibling group of 10 -

Caicedo's transfer from Brighton to Chelsea, for a fee of €116 million according to Transfermarkt, set a record for English football in 2023. He has just signed a seven-year contract extension with the Blues, where he is a key player, having made 31 appearances this season, scoring 3 goals and providing 1 assist.

Caicedo, the youngest of ten siblings who sold flowers in a cemetery to help his family, has become the most expensive player in the Ecuadorian national team, with which he started at just 18 years old and already has 60 match appearances (3 goals).

In his hometown of Santo Domingo, Caicedo's face is displayed on murals, jerseys and even on the shin guards of children who dream of following in his footsteps, like nine-year-old Julian Hidalgo.

The little boy, who says he admires Caicedo's intelligence and speed, is trained by the same educator, Ivan Guerra.

"We remember that Caicedo started in this football school, that the pitch was mud, pebbles, sand with sometimes shards of glass (...) We teach the kids to work hard if they want to achieve their dreams," Ivan Guerra, 58, told AFP.

He remembers seeing Caicedo for the first time playing in the street with his friends, the financial struggles to be able to organize matches and how Caicedo helped him guard cars in the festive district of the city to earn some money for the club.

- "Humble" -

Darwin Castillo coached Caicedo in his teens at the Jaipadida club. He remembers this shy boy, at the time "just another kid" but who already stood out for his fierce will and unique physical attributes.

"Moisés' discipline comes from his upbringing at home (...) a very poor family who prayed before eating," he says.

"Ever since I was little, I always wanted to become a professional footballer" while remaining "the same humble boy who doesn't forget where he comes from," Caicedo said last year when receiving an award from the National Assembly.

And according to Mr. Castillo, he kept his word.

He has "a sense of belonging and is still making up for or doing things he couldn't do during his childhood" due to lack of money, he explains.

Caicedo spends his holidays in Ecuador, goes to the beach, rides the Ferris wheel, kicks the ball around with his former coaches and friends, to become, for a moment, that little boy who used to lift plastic trophies.

AFP