Round the world in 18 months. Independiente del Valle, Talleres Cordoba, Bayer 04 Leverkusen. A meteoric rise; Two different worlds. Memories of home are still fresh, the time before life as a European professional footballer clearly in mind. Hincapie knows about sudden changes as they have followed him from early on.
In 2023, everything in football happens so quickly, In the last century, we rarely saw players that, at 20 years of age, had established themselves amongst the elite of European football. Even less so if they needed to cross the Atlantic. Nowadays, promising players from South America make the leap at a younger age and clubs and national teams begin to invest much earlier in those young prospects they believe are destined to become football stars.
A product of the esteemed Independiente del Valle youth academy, it has taken him less than a year to leave his country, explode in Argentinian football, establish himself as a regular for Ecuador at the Copa America, and announce himself as one of the breakout stars in the Bundesliga – all achieved within 12 months.
Hincapie made his professional debut for Independiente in August 2019, having earlier that year captained Ecuador to a fourth-placed finish at the Under-17 South American Championship. He would make only two further appearances for his boyhood club, however, before being snapped up by Argentine outfit Club Atletico Talleres in the summer of 2020.
He has now made a name for himself at Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. But how good actually is the Ecuadorian?
How good is Piero Hincapie?
Hincapie’s footballing education began at local clubs CS Norte America and Deportivo Azogues, before he was enrolled into Ecuadorian football’s best youth academy at Independiente del Valle at 14 years old.
Hincapie has impressed for Leverkusen in the 2022/23 season, despite the Bundesliga club’s difficult start, by showing his quality in a struggling side. He has since won plaudits for his performances for Ecuador at the World Cup, where he was reportedly tracked by various clubs.
The 20-year-old centre-back has had a quick rise in the game, having only left Argentina for Europe last year. And now it seems he will be on his way to one of Europe’s top sides in the near future.
Hincapie joined Leverkusen from Argentine side Talleres for just €6.4m in August 2021. He slotted into the Werkself’s first-team at centre-back, before being moved to left-back under Gerardo Martino. But…
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