'I gave all my salary to my mom so we could eat' - Cruz Azul's Jorge Sánchez details rise from poverty to becoming a Mexico international

Long before he was earning millions playing for Cruz Azul, Jorge Sánchez was a teenager just trying to help put food on the table. Today, the Mexican international earns $1.5 million per season - one of the highest salaries on the team, according to Salary Sports. But his path to professional football was anything but easy.

In a recent interview with content creator Debryanshow, Sánchez opened up about his modest upbringing and the emotional memories tied to his first paychecks. One of the most striking moments came when he revealed how, as a child, he earned money by giving pony rides to kids.

“I used to walk kids around on ponies,” Sánchez said. “Everything I earned, I gave straight to my mom so we could eat. I grew up with very little. There were days when even a meal was hard to come by.”

Raised in a household without a father figure for much of his early life, Sánchez said he took on whatever small jobs he could find to help his mother and sister. His first official football paycheck - just 1,500 pesos (75 Dollars) when he was 17 and playing for Santos Laguna - was spent on a heartfelt celebration.

“With that money, I bought burgers and sodas for my mom, my sister, and myself,” he said. “We sat down and cried together while eating. It wasn’t much, but we enjoyed every bite.”

Despite an up-and-down start to his stint at Cruz Azul, where he arrived in mid-2024 to replace Rodrigo Huescas at right back, Sánchez remains a symbol of perseverance and resilience. Having played in Europe with Ajax and Porto and now representing Mexico at the national level, he’s living a dream built on hard work, sacrifice - and pony rides.

After making his first-division debut with Santos Laguna in 2016, Sánchez made a significant career leap when he joined Club América in 2018. His performances there earned him a spot with the Mexico national team, eventually leading to a move to Europe in 2022 with Ajax. That same year, under coach Tata Martino, Sánchez became a regular for El Tri and was called up to play in his first World Cup in Qatar.

He was later loaned to FC Porto before returning to Mexico, where his role has slightly diminished under current national team boss Javier Aguirre. Although he was not selected for the Nations League Finals, he did feature in earlier qualifying rounds. Despite this, Sánchez remains one of the top full-backs in Liga MX and is expected to fight for a spot in Mexico’s squad for the upcoming Gold Cup.

Vicente Sánchez’s Cruz Azul will face Club León in the Liga MX quarterfinals, with the two-leg series set to begin on May 7 or 8. After finishing third in the regular-season standings, La Máquina will host the decisive second leg at home.