Royer Caicedo

Royer Caicedo grew up playing in Popayán, coming through the Academia Alemana de Fútbol Popayán and its under-17 category, where his performances in the Torneo Nacional Interclubes Sub-17A caught the eye of Atlético Nacional's scouting staff. Coach Camilo Pérez recommended the young defender to the club, and Caicedo joined Nacional's youth ranks, starting out with the under-20 side.

His rise from there was quick. He made his professional debut on 2 February 2025 against La Equidad, a first appearance in which he made ten defensive actions and was not dribbled past once.

That debut proved to be the platform for a move abroad. In February 2026, Cercle Brugge signed the left-footed defender for a fee in the region of €1.6 million, taking him from Medellín to the Belgian Pro League. At Cercle he took the number 33 shirt, a number previously worn by Emmanuel Kakou, who switched to number 5 to accommodate the newcomer.

At 195 cm, Caicedo offers the kind of physical profile clubs look for at centre-back, and his left foot marks him out in a position where left-sided defenders are often in shorter supply. His move to Belgium came little over a year after his first-team debut in Colombia, a rapid path from a regional academy in Popayán to one of Atlético Nacional's first-choice young defenders and then to European football.