The first trophy of Felipe Salvador Caicedo Corozo's career came on 28 May 2007 in Bern, when FC Basel beat Luzern 1-0 in the Swiss Cup final. Born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on 5 September 1988, Caicedo is a 1.85-metre centre-forward. He played in Switzerland, England, Portugal, Spain, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Italy and Saudi Arabia, and in 2025 he went back to his home city to play for Barcelona Sporting Club. For Ecuador he scored 22 goals and played at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
He came through the youth ranks at Rocafuerte, a small Guayaquil club in the third tier of Ecuadorian football. His performances for Ecuador's youth teams drew interest from Europe, and Basel signed him aged 17 during the 2005-06 season. He made his Swiss Super League debut against Zürich on 10 September 2006. On 1 October that year he scored his first professional goal, in the Swiss Cup. At Basel he made 79 appearances and scored 23 goals in all competitions. As well as the 2007 Cup, he is credited with the club's 2007-08 league and cup double, which Basel completed after he left in the winter transfer window.
Manchester City and three loan spells
On 31 January 2008 Manchester City announced his signing for a reported £5.2 million. He made his debut on 10 February 2008 at Old Trafford, in a 2-1 win over Manchester United. He played 35 games for City and scored 7 goals, but never became a regular and was sent out on three loans. In July 2009 he joined Sporting CP in Portugal, where he played 11 games without scoring before returning in January 2010. That same month he moved to Málaga, scoring 4 goals in 18 Spanish top-flight games as the club avoided relegation. His most productive loan was at Levante in 2010-11, with 13 goals in 27 league games, the club's best tally in a Primera División season up to that point. Levante later took up their option to buy him.
Russia, the Emirates and Espanyol
In July 2011 Lokomotiv Moscow paid a reported €7.5 million and gave him a four-year contract. He scored on his debut against Kuban Krasnodar on 28 August 2011. Injuries disrupted his time in Russia, which ended with 15 goals in 63 games. In January 2014 he joined Al Jazira in the United Arab Emirates, scoring 5 goals in 18 matches before leaving by mutual consent. On 15 July 2014 he returned to Spain on a free transfer to sign for Espanyol. He scored 12 goals in his first season, 9 in the league and 3 in the Copa del Rey. Over three seasons with the Barcelona club he made 103 appearances and scored 24 goals.
Lazio: trophies and stoppage-time goals
Lazio signed him on 2 August 2017. Later that month the club won the 2017 Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus, and went on to lift the 2018-19 Coppa Italia and the 2019 Supercoppa Italiana. In 2019-20 he became known for late goals. On 16 December 2019 in Cagliari, he headed in a 98th-minute winner for a 2-1 victory. In October 2020 he made his Champions League debut against Borussia Dortmund, and on 4 November that year he scored his first goal in the competition, away to Zenit Saint Petersburg. He left Rome with 33 goals in 139 games.
The Ecuador national team
He made his senior debut for Ecuador in 2005. He was called up for the 2007 Copa América in Venezuela, where he played twice. At the 2011 edition in Argentina he scored two goals in three matches. His most prolific spell came in qualifying: 7 goals on the road to Brazil 2014 and another 7 in the campaign for Russia 2018. At the 2014 World Cup he played all three of Ecuador's matches as the team went out in the group stage. In September 2017 he announced his retirement from international football, with 22 goals for his country.
Genoa, Inter, Abha and the return to Guayaquil
On 31 August 2021 he signed for Genoa, playing 9 Serie A games and scoring once. On 29 January 2022 Inter took him on loan until the end of the season. He made 3 league appearances and was part of the squad that won the 2021-22 Coppa Italia. On 28 August 2022 he joined Saudi club Abha on a free transfer and played the 2022-23 season there. In January 2025 he returned to Ecuador to sign for Barcelona Sporting Club on a deal running until December of that year. He played 20 games and scored 3 goals in the 2025 season, and left the club in December 2025.
