Club América has always been one of Mexico’s richest clubs. Over the years, the club's officials have signed some of the best players from the domestic league and many from international competitions. In this case, we will focus on those foreign players who signed for "Las Águilas” and failed to make an impact.
Many of them arrived at Coapa as soccer stars and disappointed the fans. There were some cases in which the players suffered injury problems throughout their stint at the club and could not show what they were really capable of doing with the ball. Some of them did not even get the chance to play a game.
Having all this in mind, we decided to make a list with the 30 most disappointing foreign signings in Club América history. Check out who they are!
30. Matías Vuoso
The Argentine-born former striker did two stints in Club América. After becoming one of the tournament’s best players for his performances with Santos Laguna, Vuoso joined the “Águilas” for the first time in 2006. He did not have a very good season and returned to Santos.
Four years later, América signed him again hoping to get the best from the striker. He had a promising first tournament with the team, but then his performances had ups and downs. Vuoso was transferred to Atlas in 2012.
29. Vicente Sánchez
The Uruguayan had his first experience in Mexico playing for Toluca, where he won two league titles. After a couple of seasons in Germany, Sánchez returned to the country in 2010 to join América, and fans were excited about the signing.
However, he failed to fulfill the fans’ expectations. The forward could never win a place in the first team and finally left the club in 2012 to join Nacional of Uruguay.
28. Tabaré Viudez
Does anyone remember Viudez playing for América? The thing is he never got the chance to play a single game with the team. He joined the club when he was 21, in 2010, after playing for Defensor Sporting of Uruguay and Italy’s AC Milan.
He was loaned to Necaxa in order to get some first-team experience. However, after returning to América, he was transferred to Nacional of Uruguay.
27. Sergio Berti
After winning titles with River Plate of Argentina, and playing for Italy’s Parma and Spain’s Real Zaragoza, Berti signed for América for a new challenge. The club officials started to track him after the 1998 World Cup, in which Berti played for the Argentinian national team.
He finally joined the “Águilas” in 1999, but he only played 13 games before leaving the club to sign for the Al-Ain of the United Arab Emirates.
26. Andrés Ríos
River Plate did not extend his contract and Club América signed him as a free agent in 2014. He had had a great season with Deportivo Cuenca of Ecuador, where he played on loan, and the option of getting him for free was interesting at the time.
Ríos was never in the coaching staff’s plans, so he failed to win a place in the first team. After one tournament, he left on loan to Leones Negros. In 2016, the forward left Mexico to sign for Defensa y Justicia of Argentina.
25. Andrés Andrade
América started to show some interest in the midfielder after his fantastic 2012/2013 season playing for Deportes Tolima of Colombia. He became one of the Mexican team’s new signings to face the 2013 Apertura tournament, but his performances were not the expected.
After a couple of tournaments, Andrade was loaned to Chiapas and then transferred to León.
24. Robert de Pinho
He played for many Mexican teams during his professional career: Atlas, Monterrey, Tecos, Necaxa and, of course, América. He joined the “Águilas” on loan for six months in 2009.
De Pinho did not have many chances to play and was sidelined from the squad before the 2009 Apertura Tournament. After that, he left Mexico to sign for Palmeiras of Brazil.
23. Carlos Darwin Quintero
The Colombian had had six great seasons in the Liga MX playing for Santos Laguna, before América tried to sign him in 2015. The club paid more than USD 10 million for forward’s transfer, becoming one of the most expensive deals in América’s history.
Although he played three years for the team, the fans were expecting more from him, especially after the amount of money the club had spent to sign him. Quintero left América in 2018 to join Minnesota United of the MLS.
22. Leonardo Fabio Moreno
The former striker was a key player for América de Cali during the 2000 Copa Libertadores campaign. His performances took the attention of América, which signed him almost immediately. However, his level was not the expected and was sent on loan to Atlético Celaya.
In his return to América, his goal scoring average was even worse and left to Jaguares de Chiapas, where he did not have much playing time either.
21. Federico Higuaín
América signed the forward on loan for the second part of the 2007/2008 season as the team’s new weapon in attack. Higuaín had shown his abilities to assist his teammates and score goals when he played for Nueva Chicago of Argentina.
However, his stint in the “Águilas” was forgettable: 13 games, one goal and no assists. The Mexican team did not purchase the player’s transfer and Higuaín left the country to join Independiente of Argentina, in 2008.
20. Enrique Vera
The former Paraguayan midfielder reached the glory in 2008 when he clinched the Copa Liberadores trophy playing for Liga de Quito. During that tournament, the Ecuadorian team eliminated América from the competition.
Vera already had problems with his contract and the “Águilas” appeared in the scene to find a solution. The club made him an attractive offer and the player left Ecuador to play in Mexico. However, he was sidelined from the squad in April 2009 due to unprofessional behavior and returned to Liga de Quito in June.
19. Goran Milojevic
The former international player had his experience in Mexican soccer too. After playing most of his career in Europe, Milojevic joined América in 1997.
He only played 10 games with the team and left the country in 1998. Before announcing his retirement from the professional activity, the former midfielder played for Villarreal of Spain.
18. Maurizio Gaudino
After representing Germany during the 1994 World Cup, the former midfielder arrived at Mexico to join América in 1995, causing a revolution in the country’s transfer market.
Despite his magnificent career in Europe, Gaudino played only 15 games for the Mexican side and scored one goal. For the second part of the season, the German player was transferred to Basel of Switzerland.
17. Ricardo Páez
During his career as a soccer player, the Venezuelan competed in 11 different countries. Among them was Mexico, where he played for Club América and San Luis FC.
The interesting thing here is how short his stint in Mexico was. He joined the “Águilas” in 2002 and half a year later he signed for San Luis. For 2003, he was already playing for Unión Atlético Maracaibo of Venezuela.
16. Sergio Blanco
The Uruguayan forward impressed the América officials with his scoring abilities in Montevideo Wanderers. In 2003, the Mexican team took a chance on him and signed the player for the coming season.
Blanco could never win a place in the first team and only played eight games, scoring one goal. A year later, he was transferred to San Luis FC.
15. Fernando Ortiz
After playing for many Argentine teams, the defender arrived at Mexico to sign for Santos Laguna in 2006. He helped the team to win the 2008 Clausura Tournament and América bought him the next year.
Ortiz’s stint in the “Águilas” was as short as forgettable. He was loaned to Tigres that year and then he returned to the Argentine league, where he signed for Vélez Sarsfield.
14. Lucas Castromán
Fans were excited when the club announced the signing of the Argentine forward. He joined América after having successful seasons in Vélez Sarsfield and in the Italian league. In July 2007, the player signed a three-year contract with the Mexican team.
Due to some poor performances and personal issues, Castromán made the decision to leave the club after one season and returned to Argentina, where he signed for Boca Juniors.
13. Irênio Soares
The Brazilian player was transferred to the Liga MX in 2001, when he signed for Tigres. He became a valuable team member for the “Felinos” during his stint at the club. América, as one of the most powerful teams in Mexico, bought the midfielder for the second part of the 2005 season.
Signing Soares was a promising idea by the time, but the results were not the expected. Although he had chances in the first team, he never found the level he had shown in Tigres and was transferred to San Luis FC only a year after joining América.
12. Richart Báez
He began his career in Paraguay, his homeland, but found his best level in Universidad de Chile, where he was the 1997 top scorer of the Chilean tournament. América did not waste time and signed him in 1999.
However, probably only a few people remembers Báez’s stint in Mexico. A couple of years later, he helped Olimpia of Paraguay to win the 2002 Copa Libertadores.
11. Jérémy Ménez
Hoping to imitate what Tigres achieved by signing André-Pierre Gignac, América convinced Ménez to join the team in 2018. The Frenchman arrived at Mexico after a successful career in France and Italy, playing for Paris Saint Germain, AS Roma and AC Milan.
He signed for the “Águilas” after his stint in Turkey, but it would all finish in a big disappointment. Ménez had many injury problems and only could play a few games with América. Finally, he left the club in August, 2019.
10. Narciso Mina
The forward had probably the most successful season of his career in 2012, when he won the Ecuadorian league title playing for Barcelona. He also clinched the Golden Boot for a second tournament in a row and became the team’s all-time top scorer.
Many teams showed interest in him, but América was the one that finally bought him, in 2013. After a year in Mexico, Mina left the club. He made many mistakes in the Liga MX final and fans booed him when the game finished.
9. Daniel Bilos
After winning two league titles with Boca Juniors, the Argentine player was transferred to France’s Saint-Etienne. He did not find much playing time with his new club, so he joined América for more first team action.
Bilos was a new disappointment for the fans and left the Mexican side to join San Lorenzo of Argentina on loan.
8. Oswaldo Vizcarrondo
In 2012, América was looking for a central defender to become a leader on the back line. Club officials chose Vizarrondo, a Venezuelan international with experience in many teams from South America.
The defender did not perform as expected in Mexico. He played 12 games and then was sent on loan to Lanús of Argentina. After his return, he was transferred to Nantes of France.
7. Nelson Cuevas
“Pipino” arrived at Mexico in 2005 to sign for Pachuca, where he quickly became a valuable member of the team. He won the 2006 Clausura Tournament and, a year later, América bought him.
Fans were expecting a lot from him, especially after watching his skills with Pachuca and his experience in two World Cups (2002 and 2006) with the Paraguayan national team. However, he did not have many minutes of play and was finally sidelined from the squad. Cuevas left the team in early 2008.
6. Sebastián Saja
The Argentinean is considered one of the worst goalkeepers to have played for América. He joined the club in 2005 after a successful campaign in Spain’s second division team Córdoba. Saja was chosen to be the new goalie, leaving a young Guillermo Ochoa on the bench.
However, the keeper only played four games with América and was booed by the fans. Ochoa won a first-team opportunity and Saja returned to Argentina to sign for San Lorenzo.
5. César Carignano
Injuries were his worst enemy during his professional career. He was one of the biggest surprises in the Argentine league, where he showed his abilities to score goals playing for Colón. But he started to suffer some physical problems when he joined Basel of Switzerland.
In 2007, América signed him just to compete in the Copa Libertadores of that year. Carignano could not play a single game due to his injury problems and left the club to return to the Swiss club.
4. Luis Fernando Saritama
The Ecuadorian international midfielder, who represented the national team in the 2006 and 2014 World Cups, arrived at Mexico in 2006 to join Tigres. He played one year with the team before moving to América.
His stint in Coapa is far from being memorable: Saritama only played a few games for the team and was loaned to Alianza Lima of Peru. In 2008, he was transferred to Deportivo Quito of Ecuador, where he had already played in the past.
3. Djalma Feitosa
He was part of the historic Deportivo La Coruña team that conquered the Spanish league title in the 1999/2000 season. The former Brazilian player was well-known for his amazing skills and technique, but also for his mood problems.
América signed him to face the 2004 Apertura Tournament. Djalminha scored a goal in his first game with the Mexican team and fans were thrilled. But injuries did not let him play many matches and he finally made the decision to retire that year.
2. Jean Claude Pagal
The Cameroonian arrived at América in mid-1994 after playing the first few years of his career in the French league. The former defender joined the Mexican side to reinforce the team's back line.
During his short stint with the “Águilas”, Pagal was more devoted to fouling his opponents than playing. He was a real disappointment for the club. He finally left the team in 1995 to play in the Belgian league.
1. Márcio Delvi
Many América fans consider him as the most disappointing foreign signing in the history of the club. Fantick signed with the team to play alongside Antonio de Nigris, Germán Villa and Cuauhtémoc Blanco in attack in the 2003 Clausura Tournament. But the results were not the expected.
The former Brazilian player showed his lack of skills during his first games with the team and was quickly moved to the bench. Soon after, he was sidelined from the squad and he left the country after the tournament to return to Brazil.
