A familiar face from Liga MX will face Mexico in this weekend’s FIFA break

Mexico is gearing up for this month’s international friendlies, and this weekend’s matchup against Portugal comes with an interesting twist: a well‑known Liga MX star is set to face El Tri.

With Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Leão, and Rodrigo Mora all sidelined, Portugal manager Roberto Martínez has called up Paulinho, the Toluca striker who’s currently the three‑time reigning Liga MX scoring champion.

And while it may sound unusual, Paulinho isn’t the first Liga MX goal king to suit up for his home country and take on Mexico.

Other Liga MX scoring leaders who faced El Tri

• Salomón Rondón (Venezuela) — Before Paulinho, the most recent case was Rondón, who faced Mexico in the 2024 Copa América after scoring eight goals in the Clausura 2024.

• Ángel Mena (Ecuador) — The former León forward played against Mexico in a 2019 pre–Gold Cup friendly, fresh off a 14‑goal Clausura campaign.

• Enner Valencia (Ecuador) — The first to do it. Valencia faced Mexico in a friendly ahead of the 2014 World Cup after scoring 12 goals in the Clausura 2014. That match is also remembered for Luis “Chapito” Montes suffering a serious injury.

Paulinho: Liga MX’s only three‑time scoring champion

The Portuguese striker arrived from Sporting Clube and has since become a force in Mexico, winning three consecutive Golden Boots with Toluca and helping the club secure back‑to‑back Liga MX titles.

He’s also in the hunt for a fourth straight scoring crown this season. And even though Roberto Martínez is considering him for Portugal’s World Cup squad, Paulinho is expected to finish the Clausura 2026 before reporting for national‑team duty.

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