Kendry Páez #10

Profile

Ecuador’s generational talent, a left-footed prodigy full of creativity and fearlessness. Developed at Independiente del Valle, he made his debut in the top flight at just 15 and quickly drew global interest; Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United were linked before he agreed a £17m move to Chelsea in 2023. After a development spell in France with Strasbourg he joined River Plate this year. He has been a senior international since September 2023 when he made his debut aged 16 years and 131 days in a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay – 11 days short of beating Diego Maradona’s record of being the youngest male player to play for a South American national team. A month later he scored against Bolivia, becoming the youngest ever Conmebol World Cup qualifiers goalscorer. In January, Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior called him “a kid who has a gift … He's an ultra-talented player”, while teammate Moisés Caicedo said: “Everyone knows that he is great and if he does his part and dedicates himself every day, in training and outside, he will be a total great. The talent he has is incredible."

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