Kendry Páez, who is set to move to Chelsea when he turns 18, has said he is aiming to be the best, although his feet remain firmly on the ground for now.
The midfielder has been speaking to Diario Expreso about his career so far and plans for the future.
The young Ecuadorian midfielder is set to join Chelsea next summer after they moved to sign him last year as part of their efforts to scoop up talent from around the world.
He’s been left to develop in Ecuador for the time being but has been earning positive reviews for his performances over the last year, particularly after making his debut for the senior men’s side.
The belief is that he can be a star of the future and he has already been labelled as a potential Ballon d’Or winner if he continues to develop as many believe he can.
There are certainly high hopes about his future, hence Chelsea’s decision to move for him last summer and wrap up a deal before potential competition down the line.
For now, the focus for the 16-year-old is simply continuing to develop and get accustomed to playing senior football, despite looking accomplished for club and country already.
He’s not getting too excited about the future or the attention on him just yet, even if he does admit his aim is to be the best around.
“I always want to be the best. I’m going to give everything to get to first place,” he said.
“I take everything I am experiencing calmly; I haven’t gotten too worked up. I didn’t think that the possibility of being able to demonstrate my football would come to me so quickly.
“I am focused on Independiente, I am happy with what I have achieved, but like every professional footballer I want to win everything with the team.”
