Piero Hincapié — The Present and Future of Leverkusen’s Defense
“That shouldn’t have happened” an angry Xabi Alonso hits out on his player after the game. “I was scared after the tackle. I think I was lucky that my leg wasn’t on the ground. Otherwise, I would’ve been out for a long time,” a relieved Julian Weigl shed light on the incident that could’ve sidelined him for a while.
Bayer Leverkusen just dropped more points at home after conceding a late goal to Borussia Mönchengladbach, but Piero Hincapié’s horrible injury-time tackle stole all the headlines. When the season ended with a thumping defeat at Bochum the following week, Leverkusen conceded another goal in the last five minutes. Meanwhile, Amine Adli’s sending-off was a league-high 7th red card for the team in transformation.
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Three of those were directed at the young Ecuadorian defender. Although he had a solid campaign in reshaping Werkself’s season after a false start, his aggressiveness put him in the record books for an unwanted record. Thus, Hincapié became the youngest Bundesliga player to be sent off thrice a season.
But, in Hincapié’s third season in Germany, Alonso managed to take it all in his stride. Leverkusen suddenly became the king of late goals. Amongst countless records they set on their way to a first Meisterschale, the relentless men in black and red scored eight goals in second-half stoppage time.
All the while, the team’s disciplinary record also drastically changed. Only Leverkusen had no players sent off in the 2023-24 Bundesliga season, and their solitary red card in all competitions came in the closing game of a magical campaign: the DFB Pokal final.
Although he played less than 1,000 league minutes compared to the previous season, Hincapié had a big role in the Europa League run that ended with the only disappointment of the season. His development continues this term as he’s only bettered by teammate Jonathan Tah in German news outlet Kicker’s well-respected ranking of Bundesliga center-backs.
The ratings seem questionable considering Leverkusen only kept two clean sheets in the Hinrunde, but it’s a testament to Hincapié’s steady progress. While he’s still someone you could refer to as an aggressive defender – leaving room for continuous comparisons with Cristian Romero – he gets better at timing his tackles and challenges.
Since the end of the 2022-23 season, when he collected nine yellow and three red cards, he only picked up five cautions. Additionally, Leverkusen won back possession 18 times from his 22 attempted tackles this season. These are some of the reasons why the German champions decided against signing a replacement for Odilon Kossounou’s late departure.
Hincapié will also offer a different profile at the left-back spot for Alonso. His positional discipline and robustness give the ultimate freedom to the attack-minded Alejandro Grimaldo. On the opening matchday of 2025 in Dortmund, he provided a perfect cross for Patrick Schick’s first goal of the night. On Wednesday, Hincapié is expected to join the Bundesliga centurion club with his 100th appearance when the high-flying Mainz visit BayArena.
Although it was a result of a misplaced cross, it was also at this position that he scored an unforgettable goal for Ecuador against Jamaica in last summer’s Copa America. In hindsight, CONMEBOL’s tournament was one of the big reasons for Hincapié’s move to Germany at the age of 19. La Tricolor failed to win a game in the 2021 edition, but the revised format following the withdrawal of guest teams meant they played five games, including against eventual finalists Brazil and Argentina.
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Hincapié was uncapped before the tournament, but he played every minute until his 90th-minute red card in the quarter-final defeat to Argentina for a professional foul as the last man of defense. Although he wasn’t the only Ecuadorian who caught the public’s eye – a certain midfielder by the name of Moisés Caicedo raced up and down the pitch – his performances in Brazil promised a big move.
The €6.35m fee ended up being considered a major bargain for Leverkusen, but Talleres still nearly doubled the money they signed him from Independiente del Valle the previous summer. Before he joined the Argentine club, Hincapié won the U20 Copa Libertadores playing alongside Willian Pacho and Caicedo.
Pacho and Caicedo lived up to early promises with big moves to PSG and Chelsea, respectively, but Hincapié probably had a better year. He was the only Ecuadorian in Copa America’s Best XI before captaining the national team for the first time in their goalless draw away at Uruguay.
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At club level, Hincapié’s Leverkusen dispatched the Neverkusen moniker by winning all three domestic trophies in 2024. Repeating that feat would be insurmountable with Bayern roaring back for its hegemony, but Alonso’s men are still going strong on all fronts. As part of their continuous success, Hincapié put pen to paper on a new deal through 2029.
With the expected free departure of Tah in the summer, the 22-year-old will have to take more leadership responsibility next season. It’ll be his turn to ease the likes of Jeanuël Belocian into the fast-paced German football. After all, the kid from the coastal city of Esmeraldas is now a seasoned defender.
By: Eskender Tamrat /@eskeFussball
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Rene Nijhuis / MB Media / Getty Images