Which Club América players have played in the Spanish LaLiga?
América has a large contingent of players who will be familiar to fans of LaLiga, among them Guillermo Ochoa, who says his side are comparable to Madrid.
“I’m not afraid to say it, because it’s the reality. You can compare what Real Madrid is in Spain with what América is in Mexico,” said 37-year-old keeper Guillermo Ochoa three weeks ago when doing his bit for the promotion of Wednesday’s friendly clash between the European champions and the Mexican giants. And Ocho, historically speaking in terms of trophy success, is correct. With 35 titles across all competitions, América is the most successful club in the country. While Real Madrid play the Clásico against Barça, América plays the Super Clásico against Chivas, with whom they share a comparable rivalry. The two most-supported clubs in Mexico are also, like Barça, Real Madrid and Athletic, the only ones never to have been relegated from the top flight. Demands at the club are huge, and the former Málaga and Granada keeper, who is now captain of Las Águilas, was also quick to point out those parallels.
However, on current form, Madrid fans cold be forgiven for raising an eyebrow at Ochoa’s statement. Carlo Ancelotti’s side arrive at Oracle Park as Liga and Champions League winners while Fernando Ortiz’s side are in something of a slump. They are currently enduring their third-worst league start in history (four points from four games) and Las Águilas haven’t lifted a trophy since the 2019 Apertura. In an attempt to bring themselves back into the foreground of Mexican football, América turned to an old acquaintance of Real Madrid: Santiago Solari.
Club América’s Liga contingent
The Argentinean, who spent five years as a player at the Bernabéu and later coached the side for a few months in between Zinedine Zidane’s two spells as manager, took América to the final of the Concacaf Champions League in 2021 and finished the Apertura as leaders, but Monterrey and Pachuca frustrated Las Águilas’ dream. A poor start to 2022 cost Solari his job and Ortiz came in to coach a side with several players who have experience of LaLiga: the aforementioned Ochoa, Álvaro Fidalgo (who came through the Madrid academy and played for Castellón), Jonathan dos Santos (Barça and Villarreal), Jorge Meré (Sporting), Miguel Layún (Granada, Seville and Villarreal), Néstor Araújo (Celta) and Roger Martínez (Villarreal) will all provide some familiar faces for Real Madrid fans on Wednesday.