Article by Alexandru Stanciu – Published Wednesday, December 24, 2025, 7:21 p.m. / Updated Wednesday, December 24, 2025, 7:22 p.m.
Ecuadorian forward Felipe Caicedo has admitted he may give up professional football after being deeply affected by the recent assassination of his teammate and friend Mario Pineida, who he was shot dead in a street attackabout a week ago.
Caicedo, who turned 37 on September 5, revealed the profound impact Pineida's death had on his decision. The incident comes in a season where the player has accumulated few minutes in the main team of the club Barcelona SC.
Felipe Caicedo wants to retire from football after the death of his friend Mario Pineida
“I will most likely retire. I do not intend to continue. The death of Mario Pineida affected me a lot and I don't want to know anything about football anymore“, said the player, according to abola.pt.
Mario Pineida was fatally shot last Wednesday in an area north of Guayaquil, Ecuador. The attack also killed a woman accompanying him and injured his mother.
Caicedo, one of the top scorers in the history of Ecuador's national team, joined Barcelona SC at the beginning of 2025. Since then, he has appeared in just 20 matches, managing to score three goals.
Before the tragic event, Caicedo had expressed his desire to continue his career at the Ecuadorian club or move into a management position.
Felipe Caicedo arrived in Europe in 2006 and spent two seasons at Basel before moving to Manchester City for €7 million.
The Ecuadorian ticked off just 27 matches for the “citizens” and was also loaned to Sporting Lisbon, Malaga and Levante, until he was bought by Lokomotiv Moscow in 2011. Later, Caicedo played for Al Jazira, Espanyol, Lazio, Genoa, Inter Milan and Abha, for whom he played in the period 2022-2023.
