Mexico

Mexicans Abroad: Reflections 2008-2009

Goal.com’s Mexico staff reflect on the performances of the Legionarios in the 2008- 2009 season with their “Top 5" Mexicans abroad lists.

Jun 22, 2009 3:41:49 AM

More On : Mexico, Rafa Márquez

Lack of conviction. Repatriation. Bench. Vedettes.

All of these have been used to describe the main Mexican footballers abroad over the past year.

A lack of confidence and questions now cloud the once held belief that the growth of Mexican football would be propelled by a significant amount of players abroad. As few minutes of playing time, repatriation, and the less-than promising performances of the European-base of El Tri have left México on the verge of a catastrophe in World Cup qualification.

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Regardless, the full blame for the dismal state of Mexican football cannot be thrown at all these players; as their individual efforts and sacrifices to earn an opportunity to ply their trade on a foreign pitch must not be minimized.

Many doors were opened this past year, as the Legionarios each enjoyed their varying degrees of success and misfortunes in a tumultuous year for Mexican football.

From Europe to South America, and from the top-flight to the youth ranks, some players were undisputed starters, others sat on the bench, a few won championships, and many of them saw participation in football’s premier club competitions.

The following are the Top 5 highlights of Mexicans abroad for the 2008-2009 season by Goal.com's Mexico staff.

Sylvestre Adame
1. Rafael Márquez: Helped Barcelona win three titles with his steady play in the back.

2. Cuauhtémoc Blanco: This is Blanco’s last season with the Fire and so far he has proven to be one of Chicago’s greatest acquisitions if not the best. His great play also contributed to his return to the national side.

3. Carlos de los Cobos: De los Cobos has turned around an almost dead Salvadorian football program. He has positioned his team well in the qualifiers after two good performances against México and the U.S.

4. Giovani Dos Santos: The time spent at Ipswich has resulted great for the young Mexican. Dos Santos seemed to finally find his stride after coming over from Barcelona.

5. Carlos Vela: Vela's playing time seemed to be greater and greater as the campaign neared its end. He saw a decline in April but only because of swine flu scares. The next month he would feature in 5 of 6 matches for Arsenal including scoring one goal.

Luis Bueno
Players
1. Carlos Vela: Showed flashes of a potentially great career with a top English club.

2. Andrés Guardado: Injury sidetracked what could have been a tremendous campaign.

3. Rafael Márquez: Wasn't around for the finish but contributed greatly to league and cup conquests.

4. Carlos Salcido: Maintained his starting spot throughout the campaign, which he's made look routine.

5. Héctor Moreno: Joined halfway through the season and captured Eredivisie title in the process.

Moments
1. Giovani Dos Santos goes on loan to Ipswich Town. Fall from grace or chance at redemption? Only time will tell.

2. Hugo Sánchez is hired by Almería over the holidays and delivers greatly, proving his stint with El Tri was not true reflection of his managerial abilities.

3. Barcelona hoist league, league cup and European cup titles with Rafael Márquez a key part of all.

4. Andrés Guardado injures himself during league play and misses time for both club and country.

5. Javier Aguirre is sacked by Atlético de Madrid, ending what had been a tremendous career in Spain. Or was that Spanish coaching career just sidetracked momentarily?

César García
1. Rafael Márquez: The 'Kaiser' of Michoacan was a key figure and confidence man of Josep Guardiola’s starting eleven for most of the season, until an unfortunate injury ruled him out of the moments of glory. With three Liga crowns, two Champions League trophies and a total of eleven titles in his European palmarés, Márquez has proven to be the most decorated players from the CONCACAF and Mexico’s most important player on the European stage.

2. Carlos de los Cobos: Despite a less-than successful managerial career in México, in which the relegation of Tigres and oblivion of Irapuato and Celaya are attributed to his name, De los Cobos has brought out the best of la selecta with a new-found coaching success. With a great understanding of the local league, he has managed to forge a highly-competitive and talented El Salvador national side capable of complicating any team in the region and viably fighting for a spot in the World Cup.

3. Cuauhtémoc Blanco: In a time when players over 30 are deemed too old and unnecessary on a national side, Cuauhtémoc has demonstrated that talent and love for one’s country never fades. At 36, the windy city has given Blanco a second wind with stellar and mature performances with the Chicago Fire and in Mexico’s past two World Cup qualifiers. 'El Cuau' expressed that he will contribute with his experience both on and off the pitch to help El Tri earn the desired ticket to the World Cup.

4. Hugo Sánchez: Hugo achieved the main objective for modest side Almería with an impressive home record, which ultimately guaranteed permanence in Spain’s top-flight with plenty of anticipation. The same objective awaits Hugo next season and with the departure of key players and few incoming transfers the scenario only gets complicated, but his coaching commanded respect as he proved to be the right man for the post.

5. Making a Name: The list of Legionarios grew this season as doors continue to open for Mexican footballers to tread the pitches of the lower divisions and youth sectors around the world.

— Carlo Crociani Barcenas (AC Siena/Italy): the 19-year-old defender played the full time and was among the recordmen of the match, with 28 recovered balls and 47 completed passes, in Siena’s Primavera final defeat to Palermo.

— Jonathan dos Santos (Barcelona Juvenil ‘A’/Spain): the 19-year-old recorded a handful of goals to his name as he captained the Barça Juvenil side to the Copa de Campeones and Liga de División de Honor titles.

— Rodrigo Prieto (Caracas FC/Venezuela): the 27-year-old had another impressive season with Caracas FC, earning the Venezuelan league title and advancing to the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores. Prieto’s performances have attracted the interest of European clubs and a possible first call-up to El Tri.

— Juan Seguro (Real Unión Club de Irún/Spain): the 25-year-old talented midfielder was a key player for Real Unión in their elimination of Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey, Segunda “B” Group 1 championship, and promotion to Spain’s Liga Adelante after a 45 year absence.

Andrea Martínez
1. Rafael Márquez: He became an important part of Guardiola’s squad after being left in doubts at the end of last season. Márquez then took hold of his spot in the back and didn’t let it go except for unfortunate injuries.

2. Barcelona’s winning season: Márquez was a huge part of the campaign, and helped propel Barcelona to being the top team in the world.

3. Hugo Sánchez: Hugol was hired to help Almería avoid relegation and he accomplished much. What he couldn’t do with México, he did with Almería and with few resources. Now, his squad is being depleted, and he has few economic options, but certainly he’s gaining more respect abroad with this new stint.

4. Carlos Vela: Vela might not have had many starts at Arsenal, but his class showed the few times he did play. His goals in the Carling Cup were world class and he came into Premier League games with the ability to change their pace. The young players at Arsenal don’t get full on thrown into the first team, but when Vela fully adjusts he will be a force to be reckoned with.

5. Héctor Moreno: Moreno, unfortunately, only played half of the season because of his injury, but during his time he helped establish the undefeated base of AZ Alkaamar. He played well, and that was shown when AZ renewed his contract until 2014.

Goal.com’s Sylvestre Adame, Luis Bueno, César García and Andrea Martínez collaborated with the “Top 5 Mexicans Abroad” report. For any “Mexicans Abroad” questions or comments you can contact: cesar.garcia@goal.com.

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