Now more and more Mexican players are making the jump, some have been massive flops, others have had moderate to great success. The best of the best play in Europe that is why it is important to test oneself in those competitions.

Here is a list of the best Mexican players to play in Europe, past and present, from the legendary Hugo Sánchez to the stars of today like Hirving Lozano. Here are the best players from Mexico to play in Europe.

Luis García

Luis García was a rarity during the 90’s, a Mexican player in Europe and with Atlético Madrid. The Mexican World Cup veteran would play in Spain for 4 years, but his best stint was with Atlético Madrid playing 2 seasons and scoring 28 goals in 58 games.

Néstor Araujo

The defender moved to Celta de Vigo in 2018 and has played over 100 games for the club and has been a rock at the back. Araujo is as cool as they get protecting the backline and has carved out a place as one of the nation’s all-time best exports.

Carlos Vela

Carlos Vela gets an incomplete grade in Europe, his time at Arsenal had him going on loan to various teams until finding his groove at Real Sociedad. At Sociedad, Vela played 7 seasons scoring over 50 goals in over 180 games for the club. Vela would leave Europe for a big money move to MLS.

Hector Moreno

Hector Moreno held firm in Europe, the defender had pit stops in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and Turkey. Moreno’s best work came manding the backline for Espanyol from 2011-2015.

Francisco Rodriguez

A tough defender who had a good run at PSV and VfB Stuttgart, Francisco Rodriguez played in Europe a total of 5 seasons. Playing well for the most part.

Gerardo Torrado

The tough defensive midfielder played a lot of his career in Europe with stops at Tenerife, Poli Ejido, Sevilla, and Racing Santander. Gerardo Torrado was as tough as they came and had a reputation for going in hard.

Guillermo Ochoa

Guillermo Ochoa’s best stuff was while he played in France for Ajaccio, the netminder also had a good stint at Standard Liège, before returning to Mexico to play for Club America.

Hector Herrera

The midfielder has played very well at FC Porto and has been a helping hand at Atlético Madrid. Hector Herrera can brag that he has won silverware as well winning 4 titles in his European journey.

Jesús Corona

The talented winger is manding the midfield at FC Porto after coming up in the Netherlands with Twente. Jesús Corona has played over 190 games for Porto and has won 5 titles at the club.

Raul Jimenez

Current El Tri forward Raul Jimenez is the best Mexican player to ever have played in the Premier League. He gets regular 90-minute games and finds the back of the next at Wolverhampton Wanderers consistently.

Hirving Lozano

The Napoli forward is among the best Mexican soccer players of all-time, and one of the best to ever make the move to Europe. Hirving Lozano has played very well at Napoli after coming to light at PSV. He won 1 title with each club so far.

Javier Hernández

While never truly exploding and becoming world class, Javier Hernández did have a great spell in Europe, he was a go-to bench man at Manchester United, a talented goal scorer at Bayer Leverkusen and West Ham United. His stint at Sevilla is forgettable, but Chicharito did win 5 titles and can boast saying he played at Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Andrés Guardado

A great utility player, Andrés Guardado always found a home in Europe and has had stops at Deportivo La Coruña, Valencia, Bayer Leverkusen, PSV, and now Real Betis. Spain is where he has shined the most playing in over 250 games and winning 5 titles in his European career.

Rafael Marquez

Rafael Marquez played in one of the most dominant soccer teams of all-time at Barcelona, and while at Barca he was humble and hard working. Before his move to Barcelona, Marquez won two titles with Monaco and with the Catalan giants would win 12 titles, including two Champions Leagues. Marquez played 242 games at Barca. Marquez would later have a huge attitude problem in MLS and went to play in Mexico and had a uneventful stint in Serie A.

Hugo Sánchez

El Hugo or El Gran Hugo Sánchez, the greatest Mexican soccer player of all-time and greatest export of all-time. Hugo Sánchez was a goal machine at Real Madrid, playing seven seasons and scoring 208 goals in 243 games. Hugo Sánchez began his European career with Atlético Madrid, after Real Madrid he played for Rayo Vallecano and FC Linz in Austria. Sánchez was the Spanish leading goal scorer a record 5 times and won 12 titles in his European career.

The highly anticipated final between lifelong rivals, the United States and Mexico, was just the icing on the cake to wrap up a tournament that hogged the spotlight in July and concluded in the best possible way on August 1 in a packed Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Now that the competition is over, it’s a good time to reflect on everythingthe 2021 Gold Cup left, such as the best performances from the different players who stole the show over the last few weeks. Therefore, in Bolavip we set up the best XI and coach of the competition. Let’s take a look at it.

GK – Matt Turner (USA)

The New England Revolution‘s keeper faced a huge challengehaving to step up as the USMNT‘s starting goalkeeper in the 2021 Gold Cup, but heresponded remarkably well. To talk about the USA’s road to the finaland their subsequent title, we have to talk aboutMatt Turner‘s fantastic performances throughout the tournament.

He only conceded once in the way to the grand final and it wasn’t a meaningful one as it came in a 6-1 victory over Martinique. His other fiveclean sheets were crucial to help his side winning the tournamentas the USA won each of those games by 1-0.

RB – ShaqMoore (USA)

The Tenerife right-back had the opportunity to be among the starters in the USMNT lineup while Reggie Cannon wasn’t eligible, and he seized it. Shaq Moore proved to be a serious option for the A squad as he has been solid at the right flank both in 4-3-3 or 3-4-3 formations.

Moore’s highlight in the 2021 Gold Cup could be his early goal in the USA’s win over Canada in the final matchday of Group B, but his contribution to the team was way bigger than that specific action. Unfortunately, he was benched for the final, but he played a great tournament regardless.

CB – Miles Robinson (USA)

The hero of the final capped an outstanding participation in the tournament. One of the best takeaways for the USMNTfrom the 2021 Gold Cup was Miles Robinson‘s convincing performances throughout the whole tournament. The Atlanta United center-back has played every single minute on the road to the final and he was rock solid at the back to help the USA holding four clean sheets.

Robinson, 24, not only had a breakout level that helped his side making its way to the final but has also proven to be a serious option for the USA A-squad from now on. Berhalter said that one of the reasons why he took his B team to this tournament was to see where everybody stood. Well, Miles Robinson has responded perfectly, scored the winner in the grand final,and could be a dependable option for the long term.

CB – Hector Moreno (Mexico)

Some players do not seem to be affected by aging. Hector Moreno, at 33 years of age, has remarkably used his experience to lead Mexico to the 2021 Gold Cup final after sitting out the first two group matches.

Gerardo Martino has trusted in the veteran defender to step up when El Tri needed him the most, and he has certainly paid that confidence back. His worth became even clearer when he was forced off the final through injury, meaning a huge casualty for El Tri.

LB – Homam Ahmed (Qatar)

Asides from the two finalists, one of theteams that haveundoubtedly won recognitionin the 2021 Gold Cup was Qatar. The 2022 World Cup hosts have made a statement in their first-ever appearance in the Concacaf tournament and the 21-year-old Homam Ahmed was impressive at the left-back.

Ahmed played every single minute of Qatar’s Gold Cup campaign and has even got on the score sheet in their shocking win overHonduras on Group D’s Matchday 3 when he also provided an assist.

CM – Stephen Eustaquio (Canada)

Qatar’s introduction was clearly remarkable, but so was Canada‘s performance in the 2021 Gold Cup. In what has been an unforgettable journey for the Canucks, Stephen Eustaquio has also played a brilliant tournament on his own.

The Pacos Ferreira star has scored an impressive three goals in the competition, includinga stunning free-kick goal against Haiti on Matchday 2. Eustaquio has also helped Canada reachtheir first Gold Cup semis since 2007 by scoring one and providing an assist in the quarter-final matchup against Costa Rica.

CM – Hector Herrera (Mexico)

Arguably the biggest star in Mexico’s squad following Hirving Lozano‘s injury, Hector Herrera has been one of the most consistent players in El Tri’s campaign. The Atletico Madrid star didn’t hesitate to step up and be the leader his team needed at this competition, despite he couldn’t shine in the final.

Herrera, who wore the armband in three matches, has provided two assists in the group stage, but his best moment came in a crucial moment in the knockout round. When Mexico were struggling to beat Canada and the extra time seemed inevitable, Hector Herrera scored a last-gasp winner to fire his side to the grand final.

CM – Abdulaziz Hatem (Qatar)

Qatar were one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the 2021 Gold Cup due to their incredible performances and impressive results. Abdulaziz Hatem was one of the reasons why Qatar had such a strong run in the competition.

The central midfield has been influential in the team’s offense and also had no problem when defending. Hatem scored in three straight games helping Qatar to seal massive wins over Grenada, Honduras, and El Salvador.

RW – Akram Afif (Qatar)

Another standout from Qatar’s campaign was Akrim Afif, who had an immediate impact on Felix Sanchez Bas’ team. Hebegan the 2021 Gold Cup on the right foot scoring a goal and providing two assists in the 3-3 draw with Panama.

In the following match, he was once again on target against Grenada and set up another goal. Akram Afif arrived at the tournament as Qatar’s most valuable player, and after his impressive Gold Cup performances, his market value will probably keep on rising.

ST – Almoez Ali (Qatar)

Qatar’s performance in the 2021 Gold Cup not only has provided some of the best games in the tournament, but also many of its best players. Almoez Ali has completely stolen the show during the competition andwasthe 2021 Gold Cup top scorer.

The Al-Duhail player netted his first one against Panama in a six-goal thriller, then scored for the second game in a row in Qatar’s 4-0 win over Grenada, but his greatest moment came in the quarterfinals. Ali bagged a brace that proved to be crucial to beat El Salvador 3-2 in a hard-fought game.

LW – Orbelín Pineda (Mexico)

Mexico’s championship aspirations suffered a huge blow when Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano got injured on Matchday 1. ButOrbelín Pineda immediately filled in his shoes in a way that few could have expected.

The Cruz Azul winger’s stats in the 2021 Gold Cupspeak by themselves: three goals and one assist since stepping in to replace Lozano. Pineda scored and set up another goal in the 3-0 win over Guatemala, then netted one against Honduras, and opened the score against Canada in the semifinals.

Coach – Gregg Berhalter (USA)

He may have surprised and even upset American fans by not taking his A-team to the Gold Cup, leaving out the likes of Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, among others. But Gregg Berhalter‘s decisionstill paid off, winning a memorable 2021 Gold Cup with a B squad that proved to be way better than expected.

The USMNT has had to sweat in almost every gamebut got the job done. Beating lifelong rivals Mexico in the grand final was just the icing on the cake for a team that has won respect game after game and that not only achieved a coveted trophybut also brought optimism for the future. Berhalter is obviously a key reason for this success and now has a deep squad to keep on paving the way to the 2022 World Cup.

Honorable mentions

GK – Maxime Crepeau(Canada)

GK – Alfredo Talavera(Mexico)

CB – James Sands(USA)

LB – Sam Vines(USA)

CM – Edson Alvarez(Mexico)

RW – Tajon Buchanan(Canada)

CF – Matthew Hoppe(USA)

ST – Gyasi Zardes(USA)