LIGA MX
Porto looking to sign more Mexican stars
Porto President Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa has expressed his club’s intentions to look to Liga MX for new players.
Few European clubs have consistently looked to snap up Liga MX talent but one who has is Portuguese side Porto, who have incorporated several Mexican players onto their roster in recent years. The Dragões have regularly looked to Liga MX to add quality to their ranks and the club’s top management have indicated that the trend is set to continue.
Bruno Figueroa, Mexico’s ambassador to Portugal, met with Porto President Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa and the duo discussed possible signings that the Portuguese giants could make in the future, with Pinta da Costa stressing that his club “are still interested” in recruiting top Mexican prospects.
Which Mexican players have played for Porto?
After the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Mexico saw an upturn in exports to European clubs, with the likes of Porto and Benfica two of the most keenly interested parties. Since 2013, Omar Govea, Raúl Gudiño, Joao Maleck, Diego Reyes, Miguel Layún, Héctor Herrera and Jesús Manuel Corona have all signed for Porto.
The last Mexican to star for ‘the Dragons’ was ‘Tecatito’ Corona, who became one of the first names on the Porto team sheet and was voted the Primeira Liga’s best foreign player on several occasions. Sevilla managed to prise him away from Portugal at the start of 2022 but the winger has been able to show the same levels of consistency since his move to Andalusia and has also been hampered by injury.
Which Mexican players have moved to Europe recently?
In the current transfer window, Mexico’s number one goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa left Liga MX to return to Europe to play for Serie A side Salernitana, while midway through 2022, former Cruz Azul striker Santiago Giménez and ex-Club América right-back Jorge Sánchez moved to the Netherlands to play for Feyenoord and Ajax respectively.