Nagelsmann's dream player? This octopus pounces on every error today | OneFootball

Forget Paul the Octopus. Today it’s all about Moisés Caicedo the Octopus. The Ecuador star is one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, especially out of possession, and could become Germany’s biggest threat tonight from 10 p.m.

As you may have already guessed, his animal nickname plays a small part in that. “El Pulpo” has been known since his youth for winning an extraordinary number of balls in midfield — and over the past two Premier League seasons, even that feels like an understatement.

📸 ADRIAN DENNIS - AFP or licensors

In the best league in the world, Caicedo made more interceptions than any other player in both the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons. One of the reasons Chelsea signed him from Brighton in the summer of 2023 for just under €120 million — briefly making him the most expensive Premier League transfer in history. Important for all Germany fans: once Caicedo has nicked the ball off the opposition, he often immediately shows off his second major strength.

“The way he played the ball with both feet, there was something special about it,” Ivan Guerra, who discovered Caicedo at 13 during a street game and then guided him on his path to Independiente’s youth academy, told The Athletic.

Once he gets on the ball, Caicedo can very quickly turn into a playmaker. One who always seems to have a good idea and usually executes it perfectly thanks to his passing quality. Last season, the 24-year-old completed more than 90 percent of his passes. On vertical forward balls, he reached 89 percent, putting other Premier League stars like Declan Rice (87 percent) in the shade.

Especially unfair for opponents: Caicedo is physically built for the box-to-box game and is still ready in the 90th minute to cover the decisive yards.

“I won’t stop until I collapse. I never give up. I’m used to playing like that,” Caicedo told BBC Sport when asked about his style of play. So the Chelsea star will surely be hoping for German mistakes right up until the final second, so he can then move the game forward quickly.

Germany’s vulnerability on the counterattack was already evident in the match against Ivory Coast. Time and again, the dangerous wide players around Yan Diomande caused Germany major problems. On top of that, there were repeated inaccuracies in Germany’s build-up play against both Ivory Coast and Curaçao — exactly the kind of thing that could be a feast for El Pulpo.

With that in mind, Julian Nagelsmann would probably love to have a Caicedo of his own in the squad — someone who hoovers up almost every ball and snuffs out counterattacks before they even begin.

But of course, not even an octopus can beat the 2014 world champions all on his own.

Especially in the final third, Caicedo also has to rely on his teammates. Scoring goals is not exactly the calling card of the midfield engine. Last season, he scored five times in 43 games for the Blues. The season before, he managed even fewer goals. From an Ecuadorian point of view, maybe Thursday is the time for him to finally find his scoring touch.

After two group games, La Tricolor have just a meagre one point and have yet to score a single goal. Against Germany, Ecuador absolutely need a win if they still want to reach the knockout stage. Maybe the octopus has simply been waiting for the right moment to make a splash from deep.

Germany should definitely be warned tonight. One mistake in build-up play could already be enough to be “punished” by Caicedo.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 JUAN MABROMATA - AFP or licensors