CRUZ AZUL
By whom and how was Santiago Giménez spotted?
The Spanish coach was in charge of La Máquina in 2017 and was the one who gave the current Feyenoord striker his debut.
Cruz Azul have had a good number of coaches in recent years, but very few have left major impacts at La Máquina. Spanish head coach Paco Jémez did, however, make an impact, giving current Feyenoord star Santiago Giménez his chance with the first team.
Paco Jémez arrived at La Noria for the 2017 Clausura and although his start was quite turbulent, the native of Las Palmas de la Gran Canaria gave his side a different look. With a small squad, La Máquina failed to make the Liguilla, but they reached the semi-finals of the cup, where they were eliminated by Monarcas Morelia.
Giménez debut
Giménez made his debut on August 2 of that year in a cup match against Tigres. A few weeks later, Jémez ended up winning the hearts of the Celeste fans by participating as a volunteer during the earthquake that struck Mexico City on September 19. In the same campaign, Cruz Azul made it into the Liguilla, but were later eliminated by América, which ended up costing Jémez his job at the club.
Jémez after leaving Cruz Azul
The Spanish coach returned to Spain to coach Las Palmas where he stayed for two seasons. In 2019 he was in charge of Rayo Vallecano and a little less than three years later he became coach of U.D. Ibiza.
Jémez is currently in charge of Tractor Sazi, a team that plays in the Iranian Premier League, which is his second stint outside his native country. He has also worked as a football analyst and commentator on Spanish television.