As he heads towards the final stretch of the Premier League season, Arsenal will be desperate to finally get across the line and win a title. The Gunners are currently top of the division, but have come close before, finishing second in each of the past three campaigns.
Mikel Arteta's men will be wary of Manchester City, who managed to close the gap to just two points with a narrow win over Leeds United. The two teams meet on 18 April, in a game tipped to decide the winners of this year's competition.
Having fallen short in Premier League title races of the past, Arsenal looked to boost their chances by strengthening the entire squad over the summer. Depth was added in attack, midfield and defence, with the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi, Piero Hincapie, and Cristhian Mosquera joining.
All of those signings have had a notable impact this season, but one man has had an unusual journey to north London.
Arsenal Star Had Cousin Kidnapped
Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres celebrates scoring their second goal with Piero Hincapie and Gabriel Magalhaes
Hincapie joined Arsenal in September on an initial loan for the season from Bayer Leverkusen. It's expected, though, that he will sign permanently in the summer, an option to buy reportedly set at £45 million.
Part of the appeal to bringing in the defender would have been his past title-winning experience. After all, he was part of the Leverkusen team that won the club’s first-ever Bundesliga title, going unbeaten domestically in the 2023/24 season.
Not only has he shown how to deal with pressure on the pitch, but a remarkable story, as detailed by the Telegraph, shows how he can deal with stress away from the game. In the summer of 2023, Hincapie was on holiday in Spain when he received the news that his cousin, Stefano Tello, had been kidnapped in his native Ecuador.
The kidnappers, knowing Tello was closely related to an international football star, had pounced in hope of securing a hefty ransom. They demanded $1m (£740,000) from then-Leverkusen defender, who was only 21 at the time.
His cousin was held for six days before he was found, 'dehydrated and bruised', near the border with Colombia, in an area known to be a base for guerrilla dissidents and drug traffickers. Ecuadorian press reported that Tello had been taken there by boat, and police claimed the kidnappers fled the scene upon the arrival of law-enforcement officers in the area.
Already the financial leader of his extended family, the terggring ordeal meant it was subsequently Hincapie’s responsibility to secure their long-term safety away from Ecuador. More than 70 per cent of the South American country's 18 million inhabitants were exposed to organised crime violence in 2025.
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Hincapie Compares Arsenal to Title-Winning Leverkusen
Piero Hincapie in action for Arsenal against Wolves in the Premier League
Able to fill in at either left-back of centre-back, Hincapie spent the first half of the season largely deputising for either Gabriel or Riccardo Calafiori. Injury to the Italian, however, opened the door for the Ecuadorian to win more frequent starts at fullback in recent weeks.
Now on his best run in the team, Hincapie has played in 16 of the last 17 league games, picking up one goal and one assist, having started the last three games. Arteta has called the defender a 'warrior' thanks to his combative style of play.
Speaking on his title ambitions, the 24-year-old compared Arsenal with his former Leverkusen teammate, saying: "Of course, the players are different, but everyone here has unbelievable quality, be it the players on the pitch or the ones waiting to grab their chance. Having everyone ready at all times is what makes this team stronger."
He also said: "I think we [Arsenal] are a family and we stay united at all times, especially the tough ones, which is the key factor. This team has incredible conviction. I can’t help but admire it. I think our conviction and working hard to improve are crucial. There’s still a long way to go, but I’m convinced we can achieve something big."