Moisés Caicedo: Chelsea alert – Struggling with fitness, says he’ll risk himself for Ecuador

And judging by his latest comments, he’s having to push himself quite hard to represent his country.

That’s probably not what Xabi Alonso wanted to hear heading into the international break, especially after the midfielder’s difficult start to the season.

Caicedo missed several weeks with a calf injury, suffered a setback during his comeback and only returned to Chelsea’s starting line-up in October.

He has since played his way back into the team, but his latest comments suggest things aren’t entirely comfortable just yet.

Caicedo admits he’s making a big effort to play for Ecuador

Speaking to local reporters, in comments covered by FutbolEcuador, the 25-year-old was asked how he was feeling physically. His answer was hardly reassuring from Chelsea’s perspective.

“I’m a little… [sighs] fine, a bit tired, having a few problems, but well, I’m here,” Caicedo said.

“Honestly, my national team is what matters most to me, being here with my people, with my Ecuador. I’m making a huge effort to be here, and I’m very happy about that.”

The midfielder has returned to international duty after missing Ecuador’s previous tour of Asia through injury.

He’s also taking on a new responsibility as the national team’s captain, with friendlies against Costa Rica and Bolivia coming up.

Caicedo was asked about new manager Marcelo Gallardo, too, and revealed what his teammates had told him.

“I only arrived yesterday, so I’ve seen that the lads have already been training. They’ve told me they’ve been doing really well and have felt really good with the new manager.”

“That’s good to hear. You arrive feeling very happy hearing that. So now it’s about making myself available to the coaching staff and helping out.”

Chelsea already knew something wasn’t quite right

Before Sunday’s match against Sunderland, Alonso said the Ecuadorian had missed training after experiencing discomfort following Chelsea’s victory over Manchester United.

The manager explained it was a different issue from the calf injury that had previously kept him out. Caicedo eventually recovered sufficiently to start against Sunderland, which appeared to be good news.

Yet just two days later, he’s openly discussing tiredness, physical problems and the considerable effort he’s making to play for Ecuador.

So Chelsea have already had to manage his fitness carefully this season. Another setback would surely be frustrating after all the work that went into getting him back on the pitch.

Sport Witness injury analysis for Moisés Caicedo

MOISÉS CAICEDO Injury history · Recorded injuries, illness & fitness concerns

Period	Club	Injury / illness	Recorded details
18 November–9 December 2020	Independiente del Valle	Muscle tear	Transfermarkt records 22 days out and six games missed.
5 July–13 August 2021	Brighton	Knee injury	Recorded in Soccerway’s historical absence list.
Late March–early April 2022	Brighton	Illness	Transfermarkt records 1–6 April; Soccerway lists 31 March–8 April.
6–7 April 2023	Brighton	Leg injury	Brief recorded fitness issue.
8–17 August 2023	Brighton / Chelsea	Thigh injury	Recorded period overlaps his transfer to Chelsea.
September 2023	Chelsea	Knock / knee injury	Transfermarkt lists a knock on 14–20 September; Soccerway lists a knee issue on 20–23 September.
23–25 December 2023	Chelsea	Fever	Transfermarkt records three days out and one game missed.
July 2025	Chelsea	Ankle injury	Twisted his ankle during the Club World Cup semi-final against Fluminense on 8 July.
28–30 September 2025	Chelsea	Unspecified injury	Short absence entry; injury type not specified.
16–29 August 2026	Chelsea	Calf problem	Missed the opening two league fixtures. Chelsea subsequently identified the problem as a calf injury.
31 August–9 October 2026	Chelsea	Calf injury recurrence	Suffered a setback during his substitute comeback against Brighton on 30 August; returned against Bournemouth in October.

RECENT FITNESS CONCERNS

29–30 October 2026	Brief unspecified injury entry. Subsequently cleared to face Manchester United.
4–7 November 2026	Training disrupted by discomfort. Xabi Alonso described “little problems” rather than confirming another calf injury.
Latest confirmed availability	Started and captained Chelsea against Sunderland on 8 November 2026.

Scope: Published senior-career injury and illness records, supplemented by club fitness reports. Suspensions and planned rest excluded. Historical coverage may be incomplete.
Records: Dates generally follow Soccerway, with Transfermarkt supplying additional historical entries. Database periods can differ from injury dates or competitive return dates. Brief fitness entries do not necessarily mean a competitive match was missed.
Classification: The September 2023 knock and knee entries are grouped to avoid presenting potentially overlapping reports as two confirmed injuries. August 2026 is labelled as a calf problem following Chelsea’s subsequent explanation.
Updated: 12 November 2026.

SPORT WITNESS