Piero Hincapie: Arsenal defender is a physical 'beast' who 'broke the GPS' at former club and can win starting spot

Independiente del Valle's coaching staff initially found the numbers hard to believe. Pre-season training had begun and senior players were being outshone by a 17-year-old whose physical output was off the charts. Piero Hincapie had arrived.

"He was breaking the GPS data every single day," Miguel Angel Ramirez, the club's former manager, and the man who gave Hincapie his professional debut, tells Sky Sports with a chuckle. "Speed, sprints, accelerations, high-intensity actions…"

Hincapie's natural gifts had earned him promotion to the senior squad ahead of even Chelsea's Moises Caicedo or Paris Saint-Germain centre-back Willian Pacho, both of whom were in the age group above his in the Ecuadorian club's academy.

"Piero was more ready," says Ramirez, who had previously acted as the club's academy director. "He was amazing physically, a beast, much better than any professional in the first-team. He was really impressive technically and tactically as well."

• Mikel Arteta hails Max Dowman's 'personality and courage'
• Got Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone?
• No Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW ?

Hincapie is now showcasing the same blend of qualities to Mikel Arteta and his staff at Arsenal having recovered from a groin injury following his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen. "The moment physically he is at his best, he is going to raise the level," said Arteta.

There were signs of that during Tuesday's win over Slavia Prague.

On only his second start of the season, Hincapie became the first Arsenal player in 12 years to achieve a 100 per cent duel success rate from eight or more duels in a Champions League game.

It was a typically combative performance. At one point in the first half, Hincapie even had to be pulled away from a confrontation with Slavia Prague's Tomas Chory. The 6ft 6ins striker probably expected a different reaction to his attempted intimidation.

"Really strong, really efficient, really good," was Arteta's verdict.

Arsenal are still building up his fitness following his return from injury but Hincapie's early appearances have been encouraging and his strength in the duel has been a theme.

His overall success rate this season is the highest of any Arsenal player. Although a small sample size, it hints at what he can bring. Hincapie ranked among Bayer Leverkusen's top two players in the same category in each of the last three seasons.

Arteta has described him as a "warrior" and his former boss Xabi Alonso, with whom he won a famous double at Leverkusen, used the same term. Arteta sought the advice of his old friend before the move. "He was super-complimentary," he said.

Arteta's squad is of course stacked with high-class defensive options, all of whom have contributed to their recent clean sheets.

But those who know Hincapie are in no doubt he will earn a spot.

"He will show that he can compete with anyone," smiles Ramirez.

"He will take a place. You will see."

Left-back or centre-back?

His versatility should help. Hincapie sees himself primarily as a centre-back these days but he is similarly comfortable at left-back and has already shown his adaptability at Arsenal.

He slotted in on the left of a back three in the closing stages of last month's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, then started as the left-sided centre-back in a four against Brighton, before appearing as a left-back against Burnley and Slavia Prague.

It was as a left-back that he first came to the attention of Ramirez at Independiente del Valle. "I know he doesn't like the position so much anymore, but he was not a centre-back at that age," recalls Ramirez. "He was a left-back able to play both positions."

The change of emphasis came with his promotion to their senior squad. "We preferred him as a centre-back because of building up, because of his technical conditions and his tactical understanding," adds Ramirez. "It was easier for us when he played there.

"So, he started playing as a centre-back and he loved the position so much. Our game model was so aggressive, not only with our attacking, but with the way we defended.

"We would be in the opposition half most of the time and Piero loved to have those one-on-one situations, to show his speed and strength against any striker. I think that is still the main reason why he loves the position more than left-back."

Those qualities were doubtless part of his appeal to Arsenal. Arteta's centre-backs are asked to hold a high line and defend man to man. They also need the athleticism and tactical awareness to cover open spaces and deal with balls in behind.

Hincapie ticks every box. For now, though, he might have a better chance of dislodging left-back Riccardo Calafiori than left-sided centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes, especially seeing as he can offer Arsenal a different dimension in the left-back position.

While Hincapie has the composure and passing ability to tuck inside in similar style to Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly, his speed and stamina also allow him to get up and down the flank, to hug the touchline and provide width with overlapping runs.

He mostly plays as a left-back for the Ecuador national team. He was even used as a wing-back at times at Bayer Leverkusen.

"He has the physicality for that but also the quality and understanding," says Ramirez. "He knows where the space is, whether it's inside or outside, and when to overlap."

Crucially, Hincapie also has the tactical flexibility to adapt to what each opponent demands. He was given a relatively conservative remit at left-back against Slavia Prague. Arteta said he "wanted to have him low on that side" because of how the Czech side set up.

But his overlaps could soon open up new possibilities to Arsenal, particularly in tandem with a right-footer such as Eberechi Eze who likes to drift inside from the left wing position.

Why he's backing himself

Whether it is as a left-back or a centre-back, Hincapie can be expected to approach the challenge of winning a starting spot in Arteta's team with total conviction.

The 23-year-old is a determined and fiercely ambitious character. His unwavering self-belief is an undoubted strength but it made him a challenge for his coaches to contain as a young player making his breakthrough at Independiente del Valle.

"He was a child," says Ramirez, smiling again.

"He was promoted to the first-team very early, even earlier than Caicedo or Pacho. When you are still young, you don't have the tools to manage yourself, your mind and your mentality. It's difficult.

"At Independiente, the first-team is very close to the academy. Piero was still only 17 but I remember he was walking through the corridors as if he was a first-team player. He was thinking he was already, I don't know, Sergio Ramos or Franz Beckenbauer.

"We tried to push him. We gave him minutes in the first-team but we were very strong and very tough with him about being humble.

"He did respond to that, but he wanted to speed things up all the time. He felt that, after just a few games, he was ready to go abroad and make the step to another club."

His subsequent move from Ecuador to Colombian outfit Talleres, only months after making his professional debut for Independiente del Valle, caused acrimony at his boyhood club.

"I remember a big fight with me and the club because I didn't want him to leave," says Ramirez. "Not because of the team, not because of me, but because of him. I didn't think he was ready.

"He needed more time with us to grow up. I was right. At the beginning at Talleres, he suffered. He didn't play. But of course, he matured, and with his quality and his talent, he was able to adapt."

Hincapie only needed a year at Talleres to get his move to Europe with Bayer Leverkusen. Now, already a 48-cap Ecuador international at 23, he is at a fourth club in a fourth different country.

There is further evidence of his ambition in the fact that, having become a guaranteed starter at Bayer Leverkusen, he was willing to embrace far tougher competition for places at Arsenal, backing himself to win a spot and prove his quality once again.

"I believe he was desperate to go to Premier League," says Ramirez. "He is still friends with Caicedo and Pacho and they challenge each other a lot. So, when he sees them playing for the biggest clubs in the world, he's like, 'I want to go there.'"

And so, here he is. From wowing his coaches with his physical performance as a teenager in Ecuador to embracing the challenge of making his name in the Premier League with Arsenal, Piero Hincapie has arrived. And it might not be long until he is raising the level.

Watch Sunderland vs Arsenal live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 5pm on Saturday; kick-off 5.30pm

(c) Sky Sports 2025: Piero Hincapie: Arsenal defender is a physical 'beast' who 'broke the GPS' at former club and can win starting spot