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Ecuador's Moises Caicedo was initially slated to miss the World Cup opener
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Moises Caicedo has an unexpected figure to thank for his latest World Cup appearance.
Ecuador 's first World Cup match against Ivory Coast was expected to be missing a key player, with Caicedo originally excluded from the Group E clash in Philadelphia.
But the Chelsea midfielder owes a debt to one of his Premier League forerunners for indirectly paving the way to represent his country from the start.
Moises Caicedo initially barred from World Cup
Caicedo had originally been scheduled to miss La Tri's encounter with their African opponents following a red card in their final World Cup qualifier versus Argentina .
The 24-year-old was sent off early in the second half at the Estadio Monumental as the hosts secured a 1-0 victory over the reigning world champions.
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This meant Caicedo faced being sidelined to serve an automatic one-match ban before an unexpected intervention from none other than Cristiano Ronaldo .
The perennial Ballon d'Or winner also risked missing the start of Portugal 's campaign after he was sent off for elbowing Dara O'Shea in their play-off against the Republic of Ireland .
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However Ronaldo would potentially be ineligible for the Selecao's entire group stage schedule based on FIFA's recommended three-match suspension for violent conduct.
But world football's governing body opted not to deny their flagship tournament of the 41-year-old's involvement and postponed his suspension to a one-year probationary period.
In line with Ronaldo's waived penalty, FIFA confirmed Caicedo's own ban and that of Nicolas Otamendi in the same match would not be transferred to the World Cup.
Caicedo arrives at this World Cup following a turbulent club season with Chelsea experiencing high manager turnover and missing out on European football.
The £115 million enforcer was still rewarded for his performances with a substantial new contract that ties his future to Stamford Bridge until the summer of 2033.
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