SOCCER
Luis Chávez: “They don’t want to leave Mexico because of the money”
The Mexican international explained why he declined the Rayados offer to stay at Pachuca for the Clausura 2023.
Luis Chávez had a breakout performance at the 2022 World Cup with the Mexico national team and even scored one of the best goals at the tournament. Even Manchester United legend David Beckham praised the free-kick l that the 27-year-old scored in Mexico’s 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia in the last game of the group stage.
“I was surprised to hear what Beckham said. No one really knew who I was and now he knows who Luis Chávez is,” responded the Pachuca midfielder when asked about Beckham praising the stunning goal.
Following the campaign with El Tri, Chávez hoped that he would make the switch to Europe’s top tier, but it was Liga MX side Monterrey that was keen on signing him during the transfer window. He declined the offer from Rayados and decided to stay with Pachuca for the Clausura 2023 tournament.
The reason why he didn’t sign for Monterrey
“A Mexican player doesn’t want to leave Mexico because of the money they are offered from other clubs. Economically the offer from Rayados was better than what I currently make at Pachuca, but that is not my priority. My priority is be available for the Mexico national team and be ready to play in Europe,” Chávez told an interview with Fox Sports.
The Pachuca midfielder criticized some of the Mexican players that stay in Liga MX just to make more money instead of making the switch to Europe and improve the level of El Tri. Chávez also pointed out that it is the league’s fault for not letting some players leave and they should emulate what Major League Soccer is doing when they transfer players to Europe.
Chávez also emphasized that the amount of foreigners in each Liga MX team makes it very difficult for homegrown players to see minutes. The Mexican international experienced some difficult times after making his debut with Club Tijuana at the age of 18, but he is happy that Pachuca opened the doors for him to fulfill his dreams.
“When I left Pachuca at the age of 15 I thought I would never play again. I was invited to play with Tijuana’s youth team and from there I continued. I made my debut at 18 and from there things got complicated. I didn’t see minutes because of the amount of foreigners, but thank God that Pachuca was the best option,” added Chávez.