"The best footballers come from humble backgrounds," says Marcos Caicedo, Moises's brother and president of the Nino Moi 23 academies. That's not sentiment — it's the operating philosophy behind 38 football schools now running across Ecuador, including one in the Galapagos Islands.
The Chelsea midfielder started this project knowing exactly what it feels like to be locked out. Caicedo grew up in Santo Domingo, trained on dirt pitches, and spent his early years battling financial hardship just to access basic football coaching. The academies are a direct response to that — built so the next kid in his position doesn't have to fight the same battles.
Steering kids away from something darker
The context here matters. Ecuador's government has formally acknowledged that criminal gangs are actively recruiting children and teenagers, targeting communities hit by extreme poverty, limited education, and no extracurricular outlets. The Nino Moi 23 academies aren't just football schools. They're a structural alternative in areas where the other options are genuinely grim.
At least 1,500 children aged five to 16 are currently enrolled, including in Guamani — one of southern Quito's most dangerous neighbourhoods. The academy has been operating there since last year.
"Moises's wish is for the children to have the opportunity to play football, to see sport as a profession, a way of life for them and their families," said Galo Rodriguez, the academies' sporting director.
What comes next for Caicedo and Ecuador
At 24, Caicedo is heading into his second World Cup. Ecuador face Ivory Coast on June 14 in Philadelphia, Curacao in Kansas City on June 20, and then Germany in New Jersey on June 25. Group E is winnable — Ivory Coast and Curacao are beatable, and Germany, while dangerous, are navigable for a team with Caicedo pulling the strings in midfield. Ecuador's ability to progress likely runs through him.
The longer-term plan for the academies is bigger still. Caicedo wants to establish his own football club, using the schools as a pipeline for talent to break through at national and international level.
"All the kids dream of being on a professional team, then they dream of going abroad and becoming an international role model," Rodriguez said. "Hopefully, many more will come out of here."
1,500 kids training. 38 academies. One player funding all of it from what he earned on those dirt pitches. That's the story.
