Independiente del Valle midfielder Kendry Paez scored his second ever senior goal from a freekick at the weekend.
The 16-year-old, who will join Chelsea when he turns 18, scored from an unlikely angle, beating Gualaceo goalkeeper Alexander Eras, who could only parry the shot onto the bar and into the back of the net. Paez is a player with massive potential, and Blues supporters on X can’t help but get excited about the youngster’s future:
Another gem incoming
— Godwin Ebenezer (@GodwinEbeneze12) October 8, 2023
Our gem. Generational talent
— Clement C Mbanugo (@MbanugoClement2) October 8, 2023
He is definitely generational
— 🅰️ce♠️ (@xxxtrickstarxxx) October 8, 2023
Baller 🙌
— J2B🧘♀️ (@JLove_Lost) October 8, 2023
Paez is him and we have him 💙
— Stretch™️| #PlusorMinus (@iamstretch_) October 8, 2023
OMG baller you are a super star 💕💕💕💕💕
— महात्मा गांधी 2.0 (@Zuckerberg2666) October 8, 2023
This kid is the Ecuadorian Messi
— ®️ (@RJCafu) October 8, 2023
The future is bright
— Kharried (@Kharried_CFC) October 9, 2023
wow he’s the real deal
— beep bop (@beepby6665) October 8, 2023
Paez has already made his senior debut for his country
Despite playing only a handful of first-team games for Independiente del Valle, Paez was called up by Ecuador for the World Cup qualifiers against Argentina and Uruguay last month.
The teenager got his chance versus Uruguay, helping his team to a 2-1 win with an assist for Ecuador’s second goal.
Chelsea have invested a sizeable amount of money in Paez
The attacking midfielder had been attracting interest from European clubs for quite some time, but it was the Blues who managed to secure his signature.
It is believed that the London club will pay around £17.5m in total, although a significant portion of that fee is due as add-ons which Independiente del Valle will be owed if he performs well in England.
