Kendry Páez: The Ecuadorian Wonderkid Headed for Chelsea
Since the Copa América’s establishment in 1916, eight different teams have won the oldest international tournament in football. Argentina have claimed 16 titles, Uruguay have won 15, whilst Brazil have tasted glory on nine occasions. Paraguay, Chile and Peru have each won two apiece, Bolivia’s maiden triumph came in 1963, whilst Colombia got their hands on the championship in 2001.
There are two countries who have failed to reach the pinnacle of South American football: Venezuela and Ecuador. Ecuador have exited the quarterfinals in three of the last four tournaments, losing to Argentina on penalties in this year’s edition. With a promising young generation featuring Piero Hincapié (22), Willian Pacho (22), Jeremy Sarmiento (22) and Moisés Caicedo, La Tricolor fans can dream of returning to the Copa semifinals for the first time since 1993.
However, perhaps none of their talents are more exciting than Kendry Páez. Born on May 4, 2007, Páez stood out from an early age and earned a move to Independiente del Valle when he was only 12 years old. Independiente del Valle boasts a highly prestigious academy in South America known for its rigorous training program which produces a superb combination of physical, technical, and mental skill sets, and Páez was destined to be their next big star.
He impressed his coaches in the academy with his maturity and technical qualities and was almost always the youngest player on the pitch but stood out as one of their best players. He rapidly progressed through the academy and got his big breakthrough season in 2023 when he was only 15 years old. Páez started his 2023 season by making the first team bench in the Ecuadorian Supercopa held in January. IDV went on to win the competition, but he was an unused substitute.
In the opening match of the 2023 LigaPro A season in February, Páez made his first-team debut, playing the full 90 minutes and scoring his debut goal, helping his team beat Mushuc Runa and start the season on a high. He captained Ecuador’s under-17 team in the Sudamericano U17 held between February and March 2023, contributing to 8 out of 17 goals that they scored in the tournament, helping them finish in 4th place.
His impressive performances at the under-17 level led to his call-up for the U-20 World Cup held in May. He was the youngest player in the tournament, being only 16 years of age. He didn’t fail to impress on a bigger stage, scoring 1 goal and contributing 3 assists in 4 matches and helping Ecuador reach the round of 16, where they bowed out to South Korea.
Páez moved a level up, gaining his first national team call-up to play for the Ecuador first team under Félix Sánchez. He made his debut in the World Cup Qualification CONMEBOL against Uruguay. The game was open with both teams creating chances but Uruguay broke the deadlock in the 38th minute with Agustín Canobbio calmly finishing off a good move from Uruguay. Ecuador got a goal back with Félix Torres heading a corner from Moisés Caicedo.
In the 49th minute, Brighton left back Pervis Estupiñán drew a foul in the box to give Ecuador a penalty. Enner Valencia’s penalty went to the right side of the post, keeping the score 1-1. Kendry Páez played a great one-two on the left flank and released a dangerous ball into the middle of the box, whilst Félix Torres finished it to give Ecuador the lead in the 61st minute and eventually win the game.
He played his next international game against Bolivia. Right before half time, Ecuador won the ball back on the left side of their own box and launched a fast break. Caicedo found Páez on the right wing. He used his pace to stride into the Bolivian box, calmly slotting the ball into the left corner to get his debut goal. Ecuador went on to win the game 2-1 from a stoppage-time winner by Kevin Rodríguez.
Páez is predominantly an attacking midfielder who prefers to play on the right side of the pitch and who has the versatility to be deployed as a 10 centrally or even as a central midfielder. He shares many similarities with Antoine Griezmann, another attacking midfielder who is left-footed, dominates the center and can take on the role of an inverted winger. Páez is excellent with the ball at his feet, possessing great ball control, footwork, pace, and dribbling skill, and he is also a great creative outlet for the team.
The teenage talent excels at identifying and exploiting space and is quick and aggressive when he tries to win the ball back. Páez looks very natural on the pitch and plays the game with a vintage South American flair: dribbling, playing fast one-twos, having great control, and also being a very dangerous goal threat. He has a great range of passing and plays cheeky lobs, flicks, and backheels in tight spaces.
He also has a long-range shot in his armory, and his general finishing is very good. Páez generally finds himself receiving the ball on the right flank from where he uses his attributes to move towards the opponent’s goal. He stood out against Brasileirão champions Palmeiras in their recent Copa Libertadores match.
In the 12th minute, Páez received the ball at the right flank before progressing it into a central position right outside the defense where he played two quick 1-2’s and scored a screamer into the right corner, and he also got an assist later that game by playing a dangerous cross from the right wing. He created four chances in that match but despite his efforts, Palmeiras came back to win the game 3-2.
Páez’s future has been known since last summer — he will join Chelsea in the summer of 2025 for £17.5 million, becoming the latest player to depart Independiente del Valle for Europe after Pacho (Royal Antwerp), Caicedo (Brighton), Joel Ordóñez (Club Brugge) and Kevin Rodríguez (Union Saint-Gilloise). As Páez prepares to embark on his Premier League journey, the footballing world eagerly awaits the Ecuadorian prodigy’s arrival on the English stage.
At 17 years old, Páez has already racked up plenty of accolades, scoring on his professional debut and becoming the youngest scorer and debutant in the Ecuadorian top division, the youngest player to score in a U-20 World Cup, the youngest player to score in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers and the second-youngest South American to play international football behind Diego Maradona.
He has already emerged as one of the first names on Ecuador’s team sheet, starting all four of their matches in the Copa América, grabbing a penalty in their 3-1 win vs. Jamaica and becoming the second-youngest player to score in the Copa after Johnnier Montaño. Páez has coped with the pressure remarkably well for club and country, and sooner or later, he’s going to be tasked with making the adjustment to English football and testing his skills at Stamford Bridge.
By: @TSpec1al
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Ethan Miller / Getty Images