‘Moises Caicedo Has Taken My Role’

Chelsea legend Claude Makelele redefined the defensive midfield role. In 217 games for the Blues, the French international not only won six trophies but had his name used to describe the position.

‘Makelele role’ never quite made it into the Oxford English Dictionary, but in football circles it describes an athletic and tenacious ball-winner capable of breaking up attacks and protecting defenders. Makelele made previously unsung midfield graft fashionable.

The ‘Makelele role’ remains a widely-used term, but the 52-year-old feels a better phrase in modern football would be the ‘Caicedo role’ and is happy to have his name replaced.

“I think it is the ‘Caicedo role’ now,” said Makelele, speaking to GMS ahead of the Club World Cup, where he is a pundit with DAZN. “It gives me happiness if these young players take some things from me. Now this position has started to be recognised in world football.

“I was happy to see Rodri win the Ballon d’Or, because in my time the focus was not on this kind of midfielder. It was always about strikers or wingers and never midfielders. This position is one of the most important in the game, and now we see Rodri, or Pedri at Barcelona, getting acclaim.

“With Caicedo, I love this boy. He’s humble and hard-working. I talked with him before he arrived at Chelsea and he told me I was his example. I’m sure he can be a success at Chelsea because he’s a good player.”

Moises Caicedo was named Chelsea’s player of the season for 2024/25 after starting all 38 Premier League games. He made 114 tackles, 49 interceptions, 53 clearances, 229 recoveries and won 236 duels. And the Ecuador international even scored in the UEFA Conference League final as the Blues beat Real Betis 4-1 in Poland.

Caicedo is only seven games away from 100 for Chelsea, and could reach that century if the west Londoners go all the way to the Club World Cup final. And Makelele is predicting a strong showing from his former club at the tournament in the United States.

“I think Chelsea are doing very well,” he said. “They are starting at the beginning [of their project], very slowly. In the beginning, they changed a lot of players and managers. The new manager [Enzo Maresca] made sure Chelsea finished the season in a good way. They qualified for the Champions League and won a trophy.

“I think this new Chelsea can be successful now. We need to wait for Chelsea to win the Premier League again, and they are starting to build a strategy and some stability. But for me, the most important thing is they need to leave Maresca working in a good way, like Paris Saint-Germain did with Luis Enrique. They need stability if they are to fight for a title. And they need momentum, which is why I think winning the Club World Cup will help.

“I am a Chelsea fan, and I was worried when I saw Chelsea struggling in the beginning [under new owners Clearlake-Boehly], but now they are on a positive path and can return to the Chelsea of the past, which was at a high level.”

Makelele Welcomes Speedy Delap Acquisition

West Londoners moved quickly to recruit frontman

Chelsea will have new £30m striker Liam Delap on show at the Club World Cup following his move from Ipswich Town. The 22-year-old scored 12 Premier League goals last season and knows Maresca from his time at Manchester City. Makelele believes Delap is a welcome addition, but still backs Nicolas Jackson to succeed at Stamford Bridge.

“The future is bright,” he said. “It takes a lot of young talent to try and make Chelsea successful. I like Nicolas Jackson. We can’t criticise him. He has done a great job and it’s very important to recognise this. But of course, Chelsea need some better players if they are to win the Premier League, and they are also back in the Champions League.

“They needed a second striker [in Delap]. He is compatible with Jackson and adds competition. Jackson can’t do it all alone. I appreciate him. He fought all season. He did a good job, scored a lot of goals and got some assists, but of course another striker is welcome.”

Makelele would also like to see Chelsea add a goalkeeper this summer, even though the club have faith in Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen and new arrival Mike Penders. However, before the Blues flew out to the Club World Cup, they made an approach for AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan. In the end, the capital club were not prepared to meet the Italian giants’ £25m asking price, but the Frenchman was keen on a switch.

“I think Milan will never let Maignan go,” said Makelele. “He is one of the best in the world right now, and I think Milan, in fighting for the title next year, won’t want their best goalkeeper gone. But if Chelsea can take him, it’s better, because to win trophies you need a good goalkeeper. Just look at Paris Saint-Germain – Gianluigi Donnarumma helped them a lot to win the Champions League, Ligue 1 and the French Cup. Big teams need big goalkeepers.

“During my time at Chelsea, we had Petr Cech and he saved us a lot. We won titles because of what he did. I think the goalkeepers at Chelsea 1750024067 have made a lot of mistakes, but they are always the first players we say negative things about. And it’s not always the goalkeeper’s fault. Errors can be down to defenders or midfielders. But I think Chelsea need a goalkeeper, striker and maybe a winger to fight for the Champions League and Premier League next season.”

Alexander-Arnold Ready for Real Madrid Task

England international set to make debut at Club World Cup

Makelele will also have a close eye on another of his other former clubs, Real Madrid, at the Club World Cup. He made 145 appearances for Los Blancos between 2000 and 2004, winning seven trophies, including the 2002 Champions League.

The LaLiga heavyweights begin their Club World Cup against Al-Hilal in Miami, a game that sees Xabi Alonso make his managerial debut and likely allows Trent Alexander-Arnold to enjoy his first minutes since joining from Liverpool.

Real Madrid paid €10m to get Alexander-Arnold out of his Liverpool contract 30 days early, instead of simply waiting to sign on a free transfer. It means they can field the right-back at the Club World Cup, which Makelele feels shows how seriously they are taking the competition.

“That’s the Madrid ambition [to pay €10m for a player with 30 days left on his contract],” he said. “They want all the best players to be prepared for this competition. And I think you never say no to Madrid. I know he did a lot of thinking before leaving Liverpool. He won a lot of trophies there – the Premier League and the Champions League. He’s an important player for England and one of the big players in world football, and Real Madrid took him. It’s exciting.

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“He’ll see the difference between Madrid and Liverpool. For me, Madrid is the biggest club in the world. It will be interesting to see where they play him in the system under the new manager. And Alonso played at Liverpool before. I think Trent is a good player, and he’ll be ready for Real Madrid.”

Makelele has fond memories of both his old clubs, and is now intrigued to see how they fare at the inaugural Club World Cup. Caicedo may be the heir to his position, and a fresh role model for many aspiring midfielders, but Makelele’s influence on the modern defensive midfielder will remain.

“I enjoyed trying to win trophies with Real Madrid,” said Makelele. “You can’t understand what it means to wear the Madrid jersey until you’re at the club. And only after I retired, did I really understand what it means to play for this club.

“And at Chelsea, we built something that might not happen again for a while. We made the team into one of the best in the world. We were at the top level, fighting with Barcelona and Madrid. I enjoyed my time winning trophies at both clubs.

“Winning the Premier League is very difficult and I won it two times. I learned a lot at Chelsea, about English football, London, ways to have fun and the language. England and Chelsea accepted me in a good way, and I will always give something back. They gave me the ‘Makelele role’, and for me this is amazing!”

Claude Makelele is a pundit for DAZN during the Club World Cup, which takes place in America between June 14 and July 13. All 63 games are available to watch for free, with sublicensed broadcast deals in several territories. Tickets are available to purchase here.

All statistics courtesy of Sofascore – correct as of 13/06/2025

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