Mexican internationals who have played for RCD Espanyol

César Montes will become the fifth player to see minutes with RCD Espanyol from Barcelona after undergoing a medical exam and signing his new contract. The 25-year-old center-back arrived at El Prat airport on Tuesday to officially join the La Liga side for the second part of the 2022/23 campaign.

“I’m happy and excited, this is a dream come true for me,” said the player upon arrival.

“It’s worth the sacrifice because I’m here now and everything is going to be exciting from now on. I’m not afraid of playing in Europe, it’s a challenge and it’s what I have wanted to do since I was a boy. I come to compete for a place in the side and we will know how the coach responds towards me,” added Montes.

Other Mexican internationals that played at Espanyol

Germán Villa was the first Mexican international to join Espanyol during the 1998/1999 campaign after a successful stint with Club América. Marcelo Bielsa was in charge of Espanyol that season and it was the experienced manager who requested the signing of the Mexican player. Villa arrived on loan to the Barcelona-based team, played 12 games and couldn’t find the back of the net.

Paco Palencia was the second Mexican to join Espanyol and had a better performance than Villa. The former Pumas UNAM striker joined the La Liga side during the 2001/2002 campaign, played 28 games and scored five goals.

During the 2011 season, Héctor Moreno became the third to join the Barcelona club. The center-back arrived after a successful stint at Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar and the team had to pay $3.5 million to sign Moreno. The 34-year-old spent four seasons at Espanyol, played 132 matches and scored seven goals.

Diego Reyes was the last Mexican international to play at RCD Espanyol, signing up during the 2016/2017 campaign. The 30-year-old played 31 games and scored two goals. Reyes was a versatile player because he was used both as a center-back and as defensive midfielder.