Even though Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo has been rested by Ecuador during October’s international break, Kendry Paez has played twice for the South Americans.
Kendry Paez, 18, is a Chelsea wonderkid with plenty of excitement around him, both for what he’s doing at club and international level.
The teenage attacking midfielder is currently enjoying a season-long loan in French football with Strasbourg, where he’s playing regular first-team football. In fact, Paez has just won Young Player of the Month in Ligue 1 for September.
As for the youngster’s international career, he earned his 22nd senior cap for Ecuador this week.
Kendry Paez playing for Ecuador against the United States in an international friendly.
Photo by Daniel Jefferson/USSF/Getty Images
Kendry Paez statistics in Ecuador draw
Ecuador overcame an early deficit to secure a 1-1 draw away against Mexico, the co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup.
Paez was named on the bench for his country but entered the action inside the first half. Afterwards, the left-footed playmaker produced a decent performance without dominating, creating three chances as an attacking threat.
Here is a look at his individual statistics via FOTMOB:
Minutes played – 62
Total shots – 0
Chances created – 3
Accurate passes – 23/30 (77%)
Touches – 42
Successful dribbles 0/1 (0%)
Accurate crosses 1/4 (25%)
Was fouled – 2
Paez wanted to stay in Chelsea’s first team for this 2025-26 campaign, but it’s great to see him playing a lot of football at sister club Strasbourg. It is certainly not impacting his minutes for Ecuador, either.
Ecuador star competes for Kendry Paez against Mexico in an international friendly.
Photo by Simon Barber/Getty Images
After Paez’s display against Mexico, the Ecuadorian media delivered their verdict on the Chelsea loanee.
ESPN Deportes: “Kendry Paez: Came on early and barely made any impact in the first half. He had better moments in the second half, when he linked up with [John] Yeboah.”
When Ecuador compete in next year’s World Cup, which they have already qualified for, we expect Paez to play an important role. In the meantime, Chelsea supporters can be excited to see how much he develops and improves at Strasourg.