Piero Hincapie: Why Arsenal want to sign Bayer Leverkusen's 'lad with an unusual name' who idolises Sergio Ramos

Hincapie was born on January 9, 2002, in the port city of Esmeraldas in Ecuador. Officially, his family surname is 'Hincapié', with the accent on the 'e' lesser seen on his home continent of South America. Later in his life, Hincapie was heralded as the 'lad with an unusual name' and it was seen as a reason as to why he was even more recognisable at youth level.

"There were good and difficult times. My parents always very much looked after me and my two brothers and sisters," he told Leverkusen's website. "We did well and we had a meal on the table every evening. That's not a given in Ecuador and I'm grateful that I never had to go to sleep on an empty stomach. Sometimes there was a lack of food in Guayaquil. But, thank God, I was always very well."

Having spent time bouncing around five different academies and boarding schools all over Ecuador, Hincapie finally settled on Independiente del Valle in 2016 and would spend three years in their youth system before making his senior debut in 2019. During this time, he continued turning out for Independiente's Under-20s, and in his final year at the club helped them lift the U20 Copa Libertadores.

By this point, the rest of South America had clocked on to Hincapie's talent and he received a smattering of offers to leave his home country. In the end, he opted for Argentine top-flight side Talleres, joining them in August 2020 for $1 million.

Talleres, like Independiente, discovered that playing Hincapie in the first team and exposing him to adult football meant they weren't going to be able to keep hold of him for very long. Indeed, he ended up wearing the shirt of Los Matadores only 22 times before being sold on again.

Europe was calling, and Bayer Leverkusen were at the front of the queue. They had a rich history of plucking South American talent from the source and turning them into superstars - Arturo Vidal and Renato Augusto were the most recent examples of using the BayArena as a gateway to the rest of the continent. Almost a year to the day after joining Talleres, Hincapie signed for Leverkusen in August 2021 as a 19-year-old.

"I spoke to my family, to myself, to God - and I opted for Bayer 04. I have great respect for the country and the language and my family had always emphasised that a lot of Latinos play here - and some of them for many years. That was an important reason. Because if they stay here for a long time then they must feel at home," was his explanation for picking Leverkusen.

There wasn't much of a bedding-in period for Hincapie in Germany, as he immediately featured 33 times in all competitions during his debut season. In the Bundesliga, only five other teenagers - Jude Bellingham, Josko Gvardiol, Joe Scally, Armel Bella-Kotchap and Florian Wirtz - clocked more minutes than he did as Leverkusen finished third.

Hincapie did not come to Germany alone, however. A family man, he brought along his older brother and was determined to help his relatives back home in Ecuador. "I'm suddenly earning much more money for our circumstances," he's said. "That's not so important to me because I just want to play football, but now I have the chance to help my family. Of course, I allow myself something as well, but the most important thing for me is to be able to give something back to my parents and everybody else and that I can ensure that they have a comfortable life. My nanna's income isn't enough to live on. When everybody is looked after then I can also allow myself a couple of expensive things. 'La felizidad no se compra' - you can't buy happiness."

Shortly prior to joining Leverkusen, Hincapie represented the Ecuador senior side at his first international tournament, the 2021 Copa America. By the time the 2022 World Cup rolled around, he was one of their more established players and household names.

When Xabi Alonso was appointed Leverkusen boss in October 2022, that's when the club's transformation truly began, and Hincapie was of the perfect age to benefit from the revolution. Alonso moved the team away from the four-at-the-back formations they had relied heavily upon under predecessor Gerardo Seoane to a 3-4-3 that would yield unparalleled success in the club's history.

That suited Hincapie down to a tee. He had the robust physicality, youthful athleticism and aggressive hunger to play as either the left-sided centre-back, galloping forward into midfield and down the wing, or as the wing-back that was effectively a faux winger, such was his attacking prowess.

Hincapie made 43 appearances in each of Leverkusen's 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, the latter of which saw them win the club's maiden Bundesliga title and go unbeaten in all matches bar one, the Europa League final defeat to Atalanta. In Alonso's final year, Hincapie managed to up his appearance count even further, turning out 45 times under a manager who developed him from a diamond in the rough into a solid starter.

Alas, Alonso left Leverkusen this summer to take up the main job at Real Madrid. Since Erik ten Hag was sworn in as his successor at the BayArena, Leverkusen have seen quite the exodus, with Granit Xhaka's surprise decision to join newly-promoted Sunderland in the Premier League the most telling sign that all is not quite right in North Rhine-Westphalia. Hincapie is likely the next big name to depart the club, and England is set to be his destination too.

The left-footed centre-back has become one of the rarest profiles at football's top level. You can find plenty of right-footers who can do the job, but for some reason there is, and almost always has been, a shortage of lefties. That's part of the appeal behind Hincapie, who is uncompromising in his style at both ends of the pitch.

"I think he's a very modern defender," Alonso said of Hincapie in the recent past. "He can play in different positions. He's served us as a full-back, but has also been the left centre-back when we've played with a back three. He's aggressive, is making better decisions when he has the ball, backs himself more to play diagonal passes and get in behind. It motivates me to have a player with his potential and desire because he helps you and you help him. He's a great player."

Hincapie will scarcely refuse an opportunity to vacate his natural position and take up one further up the pitch. His bravery extends beyond rushing into tackles, but also comes out in his willingness to take on all comers with the ball at his feet too. In Alonso's system, he made a habit of finding pockets in the left half-space to sprint into and deliver crosses. That said, he is equally capable of staying back and spreading play from deep as well, and either way is more than comfortable in possession wherever that may be.

Of course, there is also much to be said for his defending, and he has succeeded in duels against some of the game's greatest names. "Piero battles on an equal footing with world-class players like Lionel Messi and Mo Salah. He's earned that respect from around the world," Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said last December.

The knocks on Hincapie are largely related to his aggressive style, which sometimes can border on reckless. When playing in a back three with two other defenders by your side in central areas, that's easier to get away with. In a back four, it becomes a bit more of an issue.

Hincapie isn't the tallest or quickest defender either, standing at six foot while more often than not likely to lose a race to a tricky winger, especially if he's already given them a few yards head start. A player of his age can be forgiven for having such rash tendencies to his game, but one of his experience can't. Unless a coach with a love of defending can get into his head (cough Mikel Arteta cough), this is who he's going to be for a while. Staying at Leverkusen under Ten Hag is incredibly unlikely to fix his flaws.

To spin a positive from these negatives, Hincapie is at least a willing learner. He was criticised for playing it too safe in his first couple of years in Germany, but expanded his horizons once he worked closely with Alonso. Again, the importance of the right manager can't be understated.

By his own admission, Hincapie is a massive fan of Sergio Ramos. He has been known to watch compilations of the Real Madrid legend while on his way to games and training. Indeed, Ramos was a defender a little ahead of his time, with his on-ball skills so refined at a young age that he began his career largely playing as an attacking right-back instead. It wasn't until the early 2010s that he became a full-time centre-back, just when being comfortable on the ball became far more of a necessity for those in that position. Like Ramos, Hincapie is full-throttle and perhaps more remembered for what he offers in possession rather than for being a lockdown defender of sorts.

There is another Spanish centre-back that Hincapie idolises, too. "On Fridays, when we travelled by bus for seven or eight hours to play for Independiente del Valle, I watched a lot of videos of [Carles] Puyol and Sergio Ramos," he's said. "I watched the videos so I wouldn't get bored on the bus, and that's when I realised that I really liked Puyol. He had a special way of playing, perhaps less technical than Ramos, but he was a leader and captain. One of the best centre-backs I've ever seen."

It's being reported that Arsenal may need to sell some of their fringe players if they are to press ahead with a move for Hincapie, with Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko likely those surplus to requirement in Arteta's squad. Tottenham have also been touted with an interest, though if this transfer window has taught us anything, it's that they're perhaps better off staying out of a tug-of-war with their north London rivals.

Tactically and stylistically, Arsenal are a pretty good fit for Hincapie, though he would face numerous obstacles to minutes. At left-back, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Riccardo Calafiori have cemented themselves as first-choice options, while only injury or suspension would move Gabriel Magalhaes from the left-sided centre-back role. But after last season ended so miserably due to a lack of options amid an injury crisis, maybe it's for the best for the Gunners to stack up on quality all over the pitch.

Hincapie is seeking an exit from Leverkusen irrespective of whether Arsenal come forth with an offer, and he has already set his sights on the game's most prestigious honours: "My big inspiration is to win titles. And I dreamt of the Champions League as a young boy in Ecuador. I'll do everything I can to be able to make it."