Mayra Madrigal
Mexican soccer players yearn to be able to demonstrate sufficient quality to be able to emigrate to the Old Continent and become world-renowned figures. More and more players are fulfilling that dream, and this transfer market has opened the door to a few more.
In the last two decades, we have seen several Mexican players emigrate to Europe –something that did not happen very often in the past. But in addition to seeing them reach European teams, we have witnessed the consolidation of figures such as Rafael Márquez, Andrés Guardado, Raúl Jiménez, Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, Héctor Herrera, Jesús “Tecatito” Corona, Hirving “Chicky” Lozano, among others.
In this summer transfer market, there have been many moves, and Mexican players are coming to the fore once again, either because they joined a European club for the first time or because they changed teams or leagues.
Mexican Soccer Players in Europe | Transfer Market
Santiago Giménez
The 21-year-old striker Santiago Giménez managed to go across the pond, as it is colloquially said when someone goes to Europe. After playing four seasons with Cruz Azul in Liga MX, he was sold this summer to Feyernoord in the Eredivisie. In Mexico, he played 88 games with the “Máquina” and scored a total of 20 goals, in addition to providing six assists. His good performances led him to be considered by the Mexican National Team coach, Gerardo Martino, and he is expected to improve his level in Europe to secure his place in the final roster for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Diego Lainez
Diego Lainez, who emerged from Club América of Liga MX and was the sensation in the three seasons he played on Aztec soil, managed to conquer the European dream in the 2018-19 season when he was bought by Real Betis. He had mixed playing time with the Spanish team and was unable to perform as well as he had in Mexican soccer. After four seasons, he went on loan to SC Braga of the Portuguese league. He arrives at this club in search of minutes to recover his best level and be able to shine in European soccer.
Marcelo Flores
The surprise signing in this transfer market was the Mexican Marcelo Flores, who has been playing in the youth ranks of Arsenal in England since 2019, when he confirmed his arrival at Real Oviedo in Spain’s Second Division. The striker failed to get a spot in the first team, despite registering 14 goals and five assists in 38 games with the youth teams. Now he is coming to Spanish soccer to try to become a starter and show his quality.
Daniel Aceves
The 21-year-old defender, Daniel Aceves, became a player of Real Oviedo in Spain’s Second Division. The player, who came out of the Pachuca youth academy in Liga MX, will live his first experience abroad after participating in 23 matches with the white and blue jersey. The left-back arrives on a loan deal that runs until the end of the 2022-23 campaign.
Jesús Alcantar
Defender Jesús Alcantar will play in the Portuguese league this season 2022-23. At 19 years of age, the Necaxa youth academy graduate will fulfill his dream of playing in Europe, and he will do so wearing Sporting Lisbon‘s jersey. This is the club from which Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo graduated. He will go on loan in the hope of being able to convince the coach and stay in the Old Continent. He made his Liga MX debut in the Clausura 2022, but only logged 29 minutes.
