ASIA CUP
Players of Mexican descent taking part in the 2023 Asian Cup
Two players with distinctly Mexican roots will be representing other nations at the upcoming tournament in Qatar.
Spanish is also spoken at the Lebanon team’s concentration. On Friday 12 January, Daniel Lajud, 24-year-old midfielder who currently plays for Atlante, will make his Asian Cup debut with the Lebanon against hosts Qatar and at the Iconic Stadium of Lusail - the same venue that witnessed Messi crowned a world champion with Argentina a little over a year ago.
At club level, Lajud, who was born in the state of Veracruz, started out with Monterrey and spent time on loan at Querétaro, Puebla and Tampico Madero - the latter, with whom he was champion of the Liga Expansion in 2020. Two years on, he repeated the feat with his current club Atlante, who lifted the title after beating Celaya. Lajud fell just short of clinching the trophy for a the third time, as his side lost to Cancún last month.
Lajud received his first call-up for Lebanon in November 2022 and made his debut in a friendly against Kuwait. He ended on the losing side that day (2-0) and in the subsequent three games against the United Arab Emirates (1-0), Oman (2-0) and Thailand (2-1). He eventually tasted victory with Lebanon in his last outing, against India in which he was an unused sub.
Lebanon’s journey in the Asian Cup continues on Wednesday 17 January against China, with the group stage reaching its conclusion on Monday 22nd against Tajikistan.
Vas Núñez in action with Hong Kong
Lajud won’t be the only player with Mexican roots at the tournament. Dalian Professional defender Vas Núñez will be representing Hong Kong. The 28-year-old was born in the former British colony to a British father and Mexican mother. Núñez made his international debut against Japan in July 2022. He has made a total of eight appearances for Hong Kong - all of them in the starting XI and featured on the bench three times.
Hong Kong start out in group C, making their debut against the United Arab Emirates on 14 January. Their campaign continues against Iran on the 19th, before they close the group stage against Palestine on Tuesday 23rd.