European clubs on alert as Pachuca starlet shines at the Club World Cup

Elías Montiel made a name for himself with Pachuca during this summer’s Club World Cup, delivering standout performances against both Salzburg and Real Madrid. The 19-year-old midfielder even earned praise from Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, whose positive remarks helped to further amplify the rising buzz around him.

Interest from the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal

Now, according to journalist Raúl Gómez, Montiel is attracting attention from a number of European clubs—including an unnamed team from Portugal and Dutch giants Ajax. While both destinations are intriguing, Ajax may have the inside track thanks to an existing development agreement with Pachuca designed to cultivate young talent.

Montiel is quickly becoming one of the brightest talents to emerge from Pachuca’s storied academy. The 19-year-old midfielder earned the Bronze Ball at last year’s Intercontinental Cup—the tournament which replaced the old Club World Cup to make way for the new one.

Montiel shows class against Real Madrid

The teenager helped Pachuca defeat Botafogo and Al-Ahly en route to a hard-fought defeat to Real Madrid in the final. His standout performance in that match even drew praise from Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez.

Another team that’s been linked to Montiel is Real Oviedo, one of the classic sides of Spanish soccer who recent won promotion back to La Liga. Given that the club is owned by Grupo Pachuca, speculation swirled that Montiel might take a fast track to top-tier European competition through that connection. However, those hopes were dashed when Pachuca club president Armando Martínez publicly ruled out the move.

“We’d have to see what the coach over there decides, along with Jesús (Martínez) and Martín (Meláez), who oversee things at Real Oviedo. A player with such a strong profile, who could also bring in significant revenue for the club—it might be tough for him to join Real Oviedo, since his arrival would take up a big portion of the budget.”

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