Piero Hincapie has only just turned 23 years old but he is already an established Bundesliga player with bags of experience at the highest level.
The Bayer Leverkusen defender was part of the club’s unprecedented unbeaten league-winning campaign last term. Xabi Alonso is thought to be a huge fan of the youngster, which is why Hincapie agreed to fresh terms at the BayArena last month, signing a contract that runs until 2029.
It’s a great show of loyalty from Hincapie and a testament to how much his head coach values him.
“Piero Hincapie joined us in 2021 as a 19-year-old talent.” Bayer managing director Simon Rolfes said in a club statement at the time. “But, even then, you could see how confident he is in his abilities. Today, Piero is in the league of world-class professionals like Lionel Messi or Mo Salah. He has earned respect worldwide.”
Comparisons to Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah don’t come cheap; clearly there is a brilliant player there who has not even reached his full potential, but just who is the Ecuador international?
Where did Piero Hincapie begin his career?
Hincapie started playing football at the age of seven, joining local clubs like Escuela Refineria, Emelec, and Barcelona. Eventually, he took a major step forward in November 2016 by joining Independiente del Valle.
From there, he moved to Argentina to play for Talleres. And it took just 14 league outings there to spark interest from Bayer, who brought the then-19-year-old to Germany for around £6 million.
What does Piero Hincapie bring to the table?
Hincapie is a remarkably tenacious and versatile defender who mainly operates on the left side of Alonso’s three-man central defence.
Blessed with rapid pace, his speed enables him to cover ground effectively, while his excellent recovery pace makes him particularly adept at defending wide areas. Its a skill honed by his experience playing as a full-back.
This season, Hincapie has won an impressive 81.8% of his tackles while maintaining an extraordinary pass accuracy of 91.1%. He embodies the qualities of a modern Bundesliga defender, being able to defend well but also be exceptional in attack, but his representatives believe he is now ready to step up to elite sides.
What does his agent say?
“Basically he’s a warrior,” he told us. “He’s a leader. He is, for me, the best left central defender in the world. One of the best left-backs and the best hybrid players for sure. I mean, he needs – or he deserves to – play in the world’s best places. He’s very happy in Bayer but he’s ready for the next step.
“He is also very good at playmaking. He just likes to win like nothing else, you know? He competes for win all the time, even when he hasn’t played that often. He’s a warrior, but above all, he is a very good person; nice person and humble guy who knows where he comes from.”
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