Significant buzz surrounds RC Strasbourg Alsace`s latest acquisition, Kendry Paéz, who is being lauded as a future South American football sensation. The 18-year-old talent was officially loaned to the Alsatian club by Chelsea for the full 2025-26 Ligue 1 season.
This Ecuadorian international, recognized as the standout performer at the 2022 Next Generation Tournament in Austria, already boasts 18 senior national team caps and two goals.
According to Carlos Tenorio, an Ecuadorian hero from the 2006 World Cup, this young South American prodigy possesses the qualities to surpass even the greatest players in football history.
“He has everything it takes to be better than Lionel Messi, better than Neymar,” Tenorio stated in an interview with L’Équipe following Paéz`s official move to Strasbourg, adding a caveat: “but it depends on him and his entourage.”
Tenorio further expressed, “This is the first time I’ve seen a player with such characteristics. I believe he has everything required to become one of the most significant figures in global football.”
Tenorio was instrumental in Ecuador’s memorable journey to the Round of 16 at the 2006 World Cup, netting decisive goals in their initial group matches against Poland (2-0) and Costa Rica (3-0). This remains their strongest World Cup performance to date.
Paéz has been a standout talent since childhood, joining Academia Alfaro Moreno, the youth setup of Ecuador`s Barcelona club (distinct from the renowned Spanish giant), at the age of five.
He later progressed to Ecuadorian powerhouse Independiente del Valle, where he played in their youth ranks from age 12 before being promoted to the senior team in 2023.
Over two Ecuadorian Serie A seasons, he netted a total of 12 goals. For more than two years, his future destination was set for the Premier League, eventually joining Chelsea on his 18th birthday this past June.
Comparisons have also been drawn between Paéz and former World Cup Golden Boot winner James Rodriguez (34), noting his ambidexterity, exceptional dribbling, and impressive speed.
In September 2023, at just 16 years old, he became the youngest Ecuadorian to represent his country and the second-youngest South American ever to participate in a senior international match, a record only surpassed by the legendary Diego Maradona.
His first international goal came in October 2023 during Ecuador’s 2-1 victory over Bolivia, making him the youngest goalscorer in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying history at 16 years and 161 days old.