If there’s one thing that gets my weekend off to a great start its a Chicharito brace. Or MOTM performance by Lozano. Or Jimenez scoring a game winner versus Manchester United. The current crop of Mexicans Abroad might finally be changing the conversation when it comes to foreign clubs signing Mexicans.
There have been many articles written about how hard LigaMX clubs make it for players to leave for Mexico and go abroad. Andres Guardado recently did an interview and brought this up in detail. This does not even take into account the passport advantages Mexico’s CONCACAF rivals, the USMNT, have in getting youngsters abroad. The US is sending tons of teenagers abroad who are able to get EU passports through their European ancestry. This is exactly how Christian Pulisic was able to join Borussia Dortmund as a 16 year old. Few Mexicans would have the option to go that route. These factors limit the number of players being sold/signed abroad and the number of clubs willing to take a risk by dipping into Mexican market. The clubs that do take the plunge will keep a close eye on their investments and demand a return. Other teams will also keep a close eye and be more likely to take their own risk if their rivals see success ie Jimenez signing with Benfica after their rivals, Porto, saw success with Mexican players.
Fairly or unfairly, the current crop of players bare the responsibility of demonstrating to clubs that Mexican players are worth taking a risk on. And the current players in Europe represent many different stages of a career, from the young starlet (Lainez) to the veteran team leader (Guardado). This weekend is a good example that these players are paying off for their employers. Pollo Briseno was signed as a 23 year old free agent leaving Mexico for the first time. He is a doing a great job at last place Feirense and had a MOTM performance this weekend in their 1-1 draw. On the other end of the spectrum, Chicharito is West Ham’s biggest earner and scored 2 goals in less than 10 minutes to lead them to victory.
So does it matter? Yes, having Mexicans succeed throughout the world, especially in the biggest leagues will have an impact in Mexican soccer as a whole. It’s great for the national team and LigaMX that they are performing well. More suitors, more money coming into the league. More money coming into the league, more money being invested into academies to develop and sell the next Lainez (ideally).