From being too shy to go to a club doctor to gaining the same nickname as the great Franz Beckenbauer, Piero Hincapie has come a long way since making the move from Argentina to Bayer Leverkusen at just 19 years old.
The 23-year-old joined us from the Bundesliga club on deadline day on a season-long loan, and to give us a flavour of what to expect from our first-ever Ecuadorian signing, we spoke with SportBild's Phillip Arens, who has been covering Leverkusen since 2008:
Settling in and silencing Celtic
Piero joined Leverkusen in 2021, scoring his first goal in the Europa League under lights at Celtic Park as they defeated the Scottish giants.
"He was really the guy that silenced the roar at Celtic Park," Arens recalls from that night almost four years ago. "His name was known only by experts of South American football, but it was clear that this was a typical Leverkusen move; they are very good at looking into this South American market. I remember they said, 'We see very good things in him for the future', and all these things were shown very quickly."
But it was not all plain sailing for Piero. Switching continents as a teenager, having already moved away from home to follow his dream at 14, the defender was anxious about the language barrier, but one that he would overcome.
Arens recalls: "He was anxious to go to a massage appointment, because he thought that the physiotherapist was not able to understand him, and he was not able to understand the physiotherapist, so he said: ‘I put a bit of ice on my leg to heal the pain’. But he learned English and German over time.
"Piero is a really superb guy. He was very much respected by the fans here because he always left his heart on the pitch."
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working with AlonSo
In his first season, Piero Hincapie played 33 matches across all competitions, providing four goal contributions as Leverkusen qualified for the Champions League.
It was his versatility that made him such a valuable player to then-head coach Xabi Alonso, who used him not only as a centre-back, but as a left-back in a number of formations. As you can see from the numbers below, Piero played in numerous positions in his spell in Germany, a trait that Arens thinks will be a big asset to Mikel Arteta's team.
"He is very fast, very aggressive in a positive way now, and he can also play very offensively with good crosses, and is very versatile," the journalist said.
"His flexibility makes him so good. Defenders on the left side are really hard to find, and even as a left-back, or when you go on the wings. Of course, he is not a winger, but with Xabi Alonso, he sometimes played a very offensive role, and he is very good with his head.
"Alonso was so happy with his development. He can play in a back three or a back four, but he can play everything on the left part of the defence. Left-footed defenders are hard to find and you will see some good crosses from him."
That positivity is certainly reflected in his numbers. Last season in the Bundesliga, he advanced the ball 3,223m upfield with his carries, the second-highest of any defender. He also won 77% of his tackles, the fifth-best success rate among defenders, and 165 duels in total, also the fifth most among defenders in 2024/25.
Read more Piero Hincapie: His story so far
'El Kaiser' and becoming a 'legend'
Piero takes on the no. 5 jersey after joining us - it's a number that holds great regard for the defender and for Arens. "It's very interesting that he has taken this number because this was the number of Franz Beckenbauer. In Germany and in Ecuador too, Piero's nickname is 'El Kaiser'.
"It's quite interesting to be honoured and named after a legend like Beckenbauer. When Piero had some very good matches, we asked Alonso about this comparison, and then he said: 'For me, he is not an emperor, he is a warrior.'
"Xabi was looking at him like a father. Piero was very much linked with Xabi."
Piero's performances for club and country were getting noticed throughout the world. A positive World Cup in 2022 and being named in the Copa America Team of the Tournament in 2024 came after an incredible season with Leverkusen, who went unbeaten in 2023/24 to win the Bundesliga and the German Cup.
Piero played in 43 of Leverkusen’s 53 games across all competitions in the greatest season in their history, where they went unbeaten in all competitions until their penultimate game of the campaign, a 3-0 loss to Atalanta in the Europa League final.
Having cemented himself in the folklore of Leverkusen, Arens believes our supporters will also take quickly to Piero: "I think he will be loved by the fans because he reminds me of an old English player in the 1980s - aggressive, always there, always fair, and never losing a ball.
"He was so good and also respected and loved by the players. His goal against Leipzig [in 2023/24] was a very, very important goal for Leverkusen. It was incredible. It was also the beginning of these later goals for Leverkusen.
"It was a season you can't repeat because, of course, not losing a single match in a championship will never happen again. He will be remembered here as one of those double-winning guys. This made him, like all the other guys, a legend."
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