Moises Caicedo has given his thoughts on who he believes to be the greatest central midfielder of all time. The Chelsea star chose to snub some of the game's most legendary figures, giving a surprising answer to the question.
The Ecuardorian has been on a meteoric rise since arriving in England. Having made a name for himself at Brighton, Caicedo made the switch to Stamford Bridge for £115m, a British transfer record at the time.
After a rocky start, he has gone on to cement himself as one of the finest midfielders in the league presently, acting as the shield for the Blues' backline while marauding forward to help out in attack. He's got a long way to go until he matches the greatest to ever play the game, but he's certainly building a reputation for himself.
But, when asked who he believes is the gold standard of central midfielders, Caicedo chose to overlook some huge names, including Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Steven Gerrard and even Zinedine Zidane. Instead, he chose someone whose game was similar to his own.
Caicedo Names Best Midfielder Ever
Chelsea's Moises Caicedo
Speaking in an interview with the Premier League, Caicedo was asked a series of questions about some of the best players he's played alongside and against in his career. He named Blues teammate Reece James as the best player he'd played with and Lionel Messi as the best player he had ever faced.
After he'd named the fastest players he'd played with and against — which went to Pedro Neto and Nico Gonzalez respectively — he was then asked the difficult question of who the greatest central midfielder of all time was. Caicedo didn't need much time to think about his answer, with him picking out former Chelsea and Real Madrid icon, Claude Makelele.
Check out Caicedo's answers to all the questions below:
The 71-cap France star, who made 217 appearances for the west London club during his five-year stay, was also in the running to be Caicedo's idol, alongside N'Golo Kante and Paul Pogba. That honour ultimately ended up going to Kante, whose performances for the Blues helped make him one of their greatest ever players.
It's also not the only time that Caicedo has cited both Makelele and Kante as inspirations to him. All three were known for their touch-tackling in the engine room, with Chelsea's newest midfield star stating that he modelled parts of his game on both players following his arrival at Stamford Bridge back in 2023.
"Makelele and Kante were an inspiration to me," he told the club's media. "They were so humble on the pitch. I think I can say we share similar qualities, but they were better."
Makelele Touts Caicedo for Ballon d'Or
Former Chelsea player Claude Makelele ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup final.
FIFA Club World Cup - Final - Chelsea fans gather ahead of Chelsea v Paris St Germain - The Football Factory, New York, U.S. - July 12, 2025 Former Chelsea player Claude Makelele gather with fans ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup Final REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
Admiration between Caicedo and his midfield GOAT, Makelele, goes both ways. Having told GIVEMESPORT in an exclusive interview that the current midfielder had made the 'Makelele Role' his own, the World Cup winner recently revealed how much he enjoyed the defensive midfielder, stating that he could potentially win the Ballon d'Or in 2026 if he keeps his current form up.
"I’m not surprised [by Caicedo's performances]," he said. "I’ve been around Chelsea when he arrived in England, and I talked with him. I like this boy, I like this boy. He is talented, powerful, and tactically, he is very good.
"When I played for Chelsea, I had that leadership, but the leadership is not always about the captain, not about talking. Leadership can be about taking the game with responsibility. Make sure your teammates understand that when you are there, they will win. That they can’t play without you. That they need you all the time because you are the balance for everything, the mental, technical side, the body language.
"I think it’s a part of his progression when you take this kind of possibility and understanding because he is so good, and he can be the leader for this team.
"This is very important, and if he continues, I think he can also compete for the Ballon d’Or next year because he is such a good player."