Mexico’s rising star ‘Hormiga’ González turned down Russia — and has his eyes on Europe

Armando “La Hormiga” González is the hottest Mexican striker on the market right now. After a breakout season that pushed him into the national spotlight, the young forward revealed he turned down an offer from a Russian Premier League club at the start of the tournament. For now, his focus is locked on making his World Cup debut under head coach Javier Aguirre.

In an interview on Faitelson sin Censura, González confirmed that Chivas received a formal bid from Russia during the early weeks of the Clausura 2026.

“It was right after the Clásico. The next day my dad and my agent showed up to tell me about the offer, but we didn’t think it made sense to go to a league facing so many sanctions,” he explained. “They’ve got great players, but without European competitions — no Champions League, no Conference League, no Europa League — it didn’t feel right. I want to play in Europe, at the highest level. And honestly, leaving like that would’ve felt disrespectful to my teammates and the club, even if it brought in money. The transfer window had already closed.”

Still, the Chivas striker — who recently revealed which club he follows — made it clear that crossing the Atlantic remains one of his biggest ambitions.

“One of my goals is to go to Europe. I’ve said that from the beginning. If the opportunity comes, I’d be thrilled. If not, I’ll keep working until it does.” But when it comes to Mexico, he didn’t hesitate: “There’s nothing for me here except Chivas.”

Following in Chicharito’s footsteps

During the interview, host David Faitelson played a game with González: he named two strikers, and “La Hormiga” had to pick one. The winner advanced to face the next name, bracket‑style.

González consistently chose Hugo Sánchez over stars like Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Omar Bravo, and Raúl Jiménez. But the streak ended when he was asked to choose between Sánchez and Javier “Chicharito” Hernández.

“I pick Chicha. I grew up watching him, and my goal is to surpass him,” he said.

With that answer, González made it clear: his biggest inspiration is Chivas’ last global superstar — and he’s mapping out his own path to become the next one.

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