Chelsea team celebrate in a group huddle after Conference League game.
Chelsea team celebrate in a group huddle after Conference League game.

Frank Leboeuf labels Chelsea ace a “game changer” and claims he’s as influential as one Ballon d’Or winner

Frank Leboeuf has compared Moises Caicedo to one Ballon d’Or winner and believes he is having a similar level of influence at Chelsea.

Caciedo put in another impressive performance as the Blues ran out 2-1 winners against Leicester on Saturday afternoon.

The win kept the Blues third in the league, but saw them close the gap on second placed Manchester City to just one point, with the club currently on track to qualify for the Champions League.

Leboeuf compares Caicedo to Ballon d’Or winner

Caicedo had a difficult start to life at Chelsea following his £115m British record transfer from Brighton in 2023, but started to find his feet over the second half of last season.

However, the 23-year-old looks like a player reborn under Enzo Maresca and he’s started every League game this season and has played alongside both Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez.

Caicedo has rediscovered the form he showed at Brighton and he leads the way in four separate Premier League stats this campaign.

Moises Caicedo speaks to Enzo Maresca. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Caicedo has arguably been the best midfielder in the Premier League this season. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

The Ecuador international is arguably the best midfielder in the Premier League right now and Leboeuf has previously described him as a masterpiece.

Leboeuf has now compared Caicedo to Ballon d’Or winner Rodri and believes the midfielder is now having a similar influence on Chelsea to what the Spaniard has on Manchester City.

“We talked about Rodri, we talked about Martin Odegaard in the middle of the park,” he told ESPN.

“If you have somebody like Caicedo, like you had N’Golo Kante before, it makes a difference. The guy is a game-changer.”

Caicedo still has a way to go if he wants to match Rodri given the number of seasons the Spain international has consistently delivered for, but he’s got all the tools to be one of the best for many years to come.

It’s arguable that Caicedo is Chelsea’s most important player and the one they can least afford to be without as there’s not a direct replacement for what he does in the squad, and the Blues will hope he can stay fit for the remainder of the season.

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