It is slowly becoming common seeing more and more Mexican soccer players in Europe. At one point it was as rare as seeing a USMNT player in the big leagues.
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 (Soy Futbol)
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
Néstor Araujo (Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
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 (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
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(Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)
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
Francisco Rodriguez (Photo by Adam Davy – PA Images via Getty Images)
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
Gerardo Torrado (Firo Foto/Getty Images)
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 (Photo by John Berry/Getty Images)
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
Hector Herrera (Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)
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
Jesús Corona (Photo by Pedro Lopes / DPI / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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
Raul Jimenez (Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
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
Hirving Lozano (Photo by Ivan Romano/Getty Images)
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
Javier Hernández (Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
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
Andrés Guardado (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
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 (Photo : Manuel Blondeau / Icon Sport via Getty Images)
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
Hugo Sánchez ( Photo by Alain de Martignac / Onze / Icon Sport )
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.
