Chelsea icon makes Moises Caicedo prediction after ‘best on the planet’ claim | Football

Chelsea icon Claude Makelele believes that Moises Caciedo shall be within the running for next yr’s Ballon d’Or if he continues to construct on his current form.

Caicedo took his time to settle into life at Stamford Bridge, but his performances over the past 18 months have shown why Chelsea were willing to pay the record-breaking £115million fee to sign him from Brighton in 2023.

The Ecuadorian international won Chelsea’s Player of the Yr award last season, starting all 38 Premier League games as Enzo Maresca’s side secured their return to the Champions League after a two-year absence.

And the 24-year-old has began this season in much more scintillating form, delivering his latest all-action display last weekend to assist the Blues proceed their wonderful recent record against London rivals Tottenham.

Such performances aren’t going under the radar, with Chelsea boss Maresca claiming that Manchester City’s Rodri is the one defensive midfielder who could be considered on the identical level as Caicedo.

Former Tottenham and Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp was equally effusive with praise, suggesting Caicedo was ‘the most effective of his type in world football’.

Makelele, meanwhile, widely considered the gold standard of Chelsea’s illustrious former defensive midfielders, insisted he will not be surprised by Caicedo’s current level of performance.

And the Frenchman believes the midfielder will soon enter the conversation as one in all the world’s best players, no matter position, if he can proceed to cement himself as a frontrunner inside Chelsea’s young side.

‘I’m not surprised. I’ve been around Chelsea when he arrived in England, and I talked with him. I like this boy, I like this boy,’ Makelele told Metro. ‘He’s talented, powerful, and tactically, he is superb.

‘After I played for Chelsea, I had that leadership, however the leadership will not be at all times in regards to the captain, not about talking. Leadership could be about taking the sport with responsibility.

‘Ensure that your teammates understand that if you end up there, they may win. That they will’t play without you. That they need you on a regular basis because you’re the balance for every little thing, the mental, technical side, the body language.

‘I believe it’s an element of his progression if you take this type of possibility and understanding because he’s so good, and he could be the leader for this team.

‘This may be very essential, and if he continues, I believe he can even compete for the Ballon d’Or next yr because he’s such a superb player.’

Makelele continued: ‘I played on this position and I know the way difficult it’s to play on this position, how difficult it’s to think in your feet. Because if you play on this position, you’ll be able to’t think for yourself; you must think in regards to the team, in regards to the way you see it. 

‘In a game, you must read quickly in that position. Sometimes the manager doesn’t have time to present you the message and you must analyse right away and be like a second manager within the team. 

‘It’s very, very essential that you must have the character, you must have a powerful mentality. This will not be easy, but I’m sure he shall be one in all the large players for the club moving forward. He’ll make history in a Chelsea shirt.’

With Caicedo as their driving force, Chelsea currently sit only one point off the highest 4 and are well-placed within the Champions League after the opening three games of the league phase.

A youthful Chelsea squad have still shown signs of their inexperience this season, but Makelele believes they’ve also proven they’ve enough quality to contend against the highest sides within the league and on the continent.

‘In America on the Club World Cup, I saw a team that was more competitive with a giant ambition this season,’ he added. ‘Within the Premier League, I believe they’re starting good, slowly.

‘After all, sometimes they play good, sometimes they don’t play good. They win. But most significantly, once they win, it has been against teams who shall be fighting for the title like Liverpool, Tottenham, all this type of competition. 

‘I believe Chelsea know exactly how one can win most of these games. I see this once they win against Tottenham, and I believe it’s good for his or her mentality. I might not worry in regards to the Premier League; they shall be there. Winning the Premier League, I don’t know. But I believe this season they shall be there in the highest 4 and fighting for the title. 

‘The Champions League is a special competition now, a special platform. They need to know exactly how one can win this platform and compete since it’s been an extended time. 

‘And now there are various, many teams. Paris Saint-Germain dominated in Europe last yr. Real Madrid, they shall be there. Bayern Munich, Arsenal. 

‘Chelsea have to learn again and check out to make sure that they get themselves into the quarter-final, semi-final. I believe in the event that they are there, I believe they’ve a possibility for winning because they demonstrated in America that they will beat Paris Saint-Germain in a superb way.

‘They show how one can play, how one can fight, how one can rating, and this is sweet. That is the way in which we would like to see Chelsea.’

Claude Makélélé was speaking on behalf of bet365, the official global partner of the UEFA Champions League, which is hosting its Big Ticket Giveaway on Tuesday 4^th November outside Kings Cross Station from 1530, where fans have the prospect to win tickets to UEFA Champions League matches. Full Terms and Conditions apply. +18 Gamble Responsibly.

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