Marcel Ruiz: The Liga MX’s assist king

Toluca have been slightly inconsistent throughout the Apertura 2023 but one player who has shown that he can be relied on when the going gets tough is Marcel Ruiz. The 22-year-old youth team graduate has become an idol for the fans and made his mark for his own particular style of play.

Born in Yucatán, Ruiz began his soccer career in Querétaro at the age of 17. Having five years of experience in the top flight allowed him to develop and hone his technique which is beginning to deliver results today. So much so that he is regarded as one of the top performers of his generation in the current campaign.

League MX assists leader

In eight games he has played so far, the Mexico U-23 international has has shared out four assists - a number that not only places him at the top of the Liga MX assists ranking, level on four with Santos Laguna’s Juan Brunetta, it also makes him the Mexican players to have created the most goals in the tournament.

Assist against América (Matchday 9)

The value of his contributions in attack lies in the way he manages to find his team mates, as he not only focuses on playing the final pass, he does so creatively, finding the best way to slice through rival defences. Against América, he found Maxi Araújo with a delicate backheel assist, leaving the No.10 free to level the match

Assist against Chivas (Matchday 10)

Last weekend, in the match against Guadalajara at the Nemesio Diez, with another, deft first-touch pass, he released Iván López who raced on to finish past Raúl Rangel; a masterful technique that is bound to earn him more and more recognition in his blossoming career.

Currently Toluca is eighth in the table with 14 points. However, the team is just one point away from fourth place, so with seven games left to play, they are still in with a good chance of qualifying directly for the Liguilla.