This article is part of the Guardian’s World Cup 2014 Experts’ Network, a co-operation between 32 of the best media organisations from the countries who have qualified for the finals in Brazil. theguardian.com is running previews from four countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 12 June.
The teardrop tattooed under his left eye reflects some tough times that Felipe Salvador Caicedo Corozo has been through during his life, especially when he was a boy; but he also says that when he sees himself in the mirror, it doesn’t let him forget where he came from.
As a boy he played football with his friends in the streets of Guasmo, a poor and dangerous neighbourhood located in the south of Guayaquil in Ecuador. They would play without shoes, in the streets and with shabby balls, but always with the big dream of becoming a professional footballer.
When he was nine, he started to play for Rocafuerte FC and – once he had got used to playing in football boots – gradually his football level began to rise dramatically and he was soon one of the most important players in the youth teams.
Concrete proof of this came when he was called up to the under-17 Ecuador side and good performances in the World Championships caught the attention of some big teams in Europe.
When he was 16, the French club Lyon appeared to be the most interested in him; everything was almost ready but then FC Basel of Switzerland nipped in and signed the young ‘Felipao’.
It was a difficult decision for him to leave Ecuador but, after receiving the support of his family, he packed his bags and began his European dream. The first days and months were very hard in Switzerland, not being accustomed to this new life, culture and away from his loved ones, but with effort and sacrifice he gradually managed to get games for Switzerland’s ‘blue and red’ team, for whom he ultimately scored 16 goals in 44 games.
During this time in Switzerland he also took the opportunity to grow outside football, as he finished his studies and graduated in computer science. After spending two years at Basel, Manchester City were interested in and paid €7m (£5.6m) for the transfer, making Caicedo the most expensive footballer in Ecuador’s history.
In England he played for City in 33 games and scored eight times, but over time lost the confidence of the coach, Roberto Mancini, andwas loaned to Sporting Lisbonin Portugal. He did not settle there and was soon on loan to Málaga in Spain in 2010, where he scored four goals in 18 games. The following year came his best performances, on loan at Levante, where he was the top scorer with 14 goals in the 2010-11 season.
At Levante he became an idol of the fans and a star of the team, also winning a best newcomer to La Liga award.
Despite that, Levante could not afford the asking price for a permanent move from Manchester City and he moved instead to Lokomotiv Moscow in Russia After two seasons there, when he scored 11 times in 52 games, the well-travelled 25-year-old is now playing for Al Jazira in the United Arab Emirates.
As for his performance in the Ecuador, Caicedo made his debut in 2005 in a friendly against Italy when he was only 16; but was then called up to the Copa America in Venezuela in 2007 and four years later had a good showing at the Copa America in Argentina, where he scored two goals in three matches but after that it was absent from the Tri for around a year.
The reason for his absence was an alleged bad relationship with the coach, Reinaldo Rueda, who felt that Caicedo affected the good atmosphere in the team. However some good performances from the Ecuadorian for Lokomotiv made fans ask for the return of Caicedo to the squad again, and he was ultimately called up to play in the South American qualifiers for Brazil. It was a decision worth making, as Caicedo was Ecuador’s top scorer with seven goals.
Caicedo is always mindful of where he was born which is why he has created a foundation called ‘Felipao’ that helps the children of Guayaquil, especially in his old neighbourhood. When travelling to his hometown he is often seen at charity events to help the poor; to somehow try to be a ‘saviour’, as is his middle name.
He is a fan of Ecuador’s Barcelona SC, one of the biggest teams in the country, and on several occasions has stated that his dream is to someday play for the ‘idol of Ecuador’.
But he is also an entrepreneur, who recently launched his own brand of clothing called ‘Felipao’ , for which his team-mates and are often the models and who often upload photos to their social networks wearing his products.
Caicedo has has admitted that his favourite film is the Rocky series, which he watches before games because it inspires him, although not to be aggressive on the pitch Caicedo likes to stick to doing what he knows best – scoring goals.
In Brazil, Felipe Caicedo will play at his first World Cup and the lack of goalscorers since the untimely death of Christian ‘Chucho‘ Benítez, means he will lead the attack of La Tri – and hopefully score the goals that helps them make history.
Juan Fernando Guerrero writes for the football website Ecuagol