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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Tom Gott

‘Not Part of the Plans’—The Wonderkid Fighting for His Chelsea Future

When Chelsea paid around $22 million (£17.4 million) to sign 15-year-old Kendry Páez from Independiente del Valle in the summer of 2023, few expected he would be in the situation he faces today.

Ecuador’s youngest-ever player. The second-youngest South American international behind only Diego Maradona. Páez’s journey up to 2025, when he formally joined Chelsea as an 18-year-old, looked to be going seamlessly.

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