Top 25 Mexican Players

Top 25 Mexican Players (updated 6/7/17)

THE MEXICO TOP 25!

If you aren’t aware of my current project, I will be collaborating with other El Tri experts every month and rank who we deem to be the best Mexican players at the moment. It isn’t a “best of the month” list, but recent performances will of course influence our decisions. It should be fun.

Remember, these rankings are subjective. My main goal is to inspire discussion and conversations about our top players. Let us know any and all thoughts.

Collaborators from this month include: Raul Barraza, Jason Marquitz, Steve Graff, Nayib Moran, Tom Harrison, Tom Marshall and yours truly.

Here are the rankings for the current top 25 Mexican players:

1. Carlos Vela
Club: Real Sociedad
Age: 28
Position: Striker
“Mexico now has a more mature and hard-working Vela in the roster. Can he lead the national team to a historic summer?” -Cesar

2. Javier Hernandez
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Age: 29
Position: Striker
“With the relationship drama aside, Javier Hernandez returned to the footballer who made chances with his off-the-ball movement and finished them. Along the way, he happened to become Mexico’s all-time leading goalscorer, and he only turned 29 this week.” -Steve

3. Andres Guardado
Club: PSV Eindhoven
Age: 30
Position: Midfielder
“The 4th highest rated Eredivisie player on WhoScored this season, plus nine assists. PSV may have had a disappointing season, but Guardado was superb, and will be crucial at the Confederations Cup.” -Tom H

4. Jonathan dos Santos
Club: Villarreal
Age: 27
Position: Midfielder
“Recent performances with the national team should cement his role as a regular starter with JC Osorio’s Mexico squad.” -Jason

5. Hector Moreno
Club: PSV Eindhoven
Age: 29
Position: Defender
“Just being his usual steady force in the back for Mexico.” -Raul

6. Jesus Manuel Corona
Club: Porto
Age: 24
Position: Midfielder/Striker
“Mexico’s wild card. When ‘Tecatito’ steps up with his creative movement, there are very few defenders who can stop him.” -Cesar

7. Marco Fabian
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Age: 27
Position: Midfielder
“The Eintracht player nearly capped off his first full season in the Bundesliga with the DFB Pokal trophy. But it capped off a season in which Fabian was often making goal-scoring chances even more dangerous.” -Steve

8. Raul Jimenez
Club: Benfica
Age: 26
Position: Striker
“Once again, Raúl ended a season spent mostly on the sidelines with crucial goals. His winner against Rio Ave helped Benfica secure the title, and he gave the Portuguese giants the lead in the Portuguese Cup final, which they went on to win.” -Tom H

9. Miguel Layun
Club: Porto
Age: 28
Position: Defender
“With a probable transfer looming, Layun’s facing a crucial few months … reaffirming his role with Mexico and finding his place in a potential new club.” -Jason

10. Hector Herrera
Club: Porto
Age: 27
Position: Midfielder
“Needs to prove he belongs on the field, faces plenty of competition for playing time.” -Raul

11. Giovani dos Santos
Club: L.A. Galaxy
Age: 28
Position: Striker
“Whether you agree with his move to MLS or not, Gio is still a key figure in the national team. His versatility in the attack should prove to be crucial for Mexico in World Cup qualifiers and the Confederations Cup.” -Cesar

12. Hirving Lozano
Club: Pachuca
Age: 21
Position: Midfielder/Striker
” ‘El Chucky’ is reportedly on the verge of a move abroad to either Turkish giants Galatasaray or Spanish side Celta de Vigo. If he does move, he has to regain a lot of the maliciousness and vision on the attack and in front of goal that seemed to fell him during the 2017 Clausura.” -Steve

13. Diego Reyes
Club: Espanyol
Age: 24
Position: Defender
“The La Liga Twitter account recently asked fans to pick their defender of the season. The options were Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Diego Godín and Diego Reyes. Impressive company.” -Tom H

14. Orbelin Pineda
Club: Chivas
Age: 21
Position: Midfielder
“A true rising star for Mexico. It shouldn’t be long before he is proving himself abroad.” -Jason

15. Carlos Salcedo
Club: Fiorentina
Age: 23
Position: Defender
“Received inconsistent playing time at Fiorentina but grew as a player. JCO likes him in a three-man backline or as a RB.” -Raul

16. Guillermo Ochoa
Club: Granada
Age: 31
Position: Goalkeeper
“Mexico’s most talented option in net. Will JCO give him a regular starting role or rotate through his goalkeeping options once again?” -Cesar

17. Rodolfo Pizarro
Club: Chivas
Age: 23
Position: Midfielder
“An ankle injury to the Chivas outside attacking midfielder revealed how the midfielder’s footballing intelligence was missed. His role in Chivas’ first league title since 2006 should start to end the questions of whether he lived up to the $15M fee (U.S. dollars) Chivas paid for him.” -Steve

18. Javier Aquino
Club: Tigres
Age: 27
Position: Midfielder/Winger
“Not quite on top form after returning from injury. Could be a key player at the Gold Cup, or may just spend his summer on the bench in Russia.” -Tom H

19. Nestor Araujo
Club: Santos Laguna
Age: 25
Position: Defender
“The development of Araujo into one of Mexico’s best defenders has been remarkable.” -Jason

20. Erick Gutierrez
Club: Pachuca
Age: 21
Position: Midfielder
“Should receive big minutes in Gold Cup squad. Used to pressure as he wears the captain’s armband for Pachuca.” -Raul

21. Cesar Montes
Club: Monterrey
Age: 20
Position: Defender
“A name to keep an eye on during the Gold Cup. If he can transition his confidence over from Monterrey to El Tri, Montes has the capability to become one of the breakout stars of the tournament.” -Cesar

22. Jesus Dueñas
Club: Tigres
Age: 28
Position: Midfielder
“In a show of how much regard Osorio has for the Tigres midfielder, Osorio allowed Dueñas to deal with a personal situation brought up by a tabloid report during La Gran Final. He still selected Dueñas as part of the squad Osorio would take to World Cup qualifying games against Honduras on Thursday, June 8 and the United States on Sunday, June 11.” -Steve

23. Jurgen Damm
Club: Tigres
Age: 24
Position: Midfielder/Winger
“The Liga MX final summed up Damm. He had the pace to threaten Chivas, but not the technical ability. 38-year-old Damián Álvarez was more effective.” -Tom H

24. Alfredo Talavera
Club: Toluca
Age: 34
Position: Goalkeeper
“Despite seemingly being the second option for Mexico, the Toluca GK should continue to get plenty of opportunity with Juan Carlos Osorio at the helm.” -Jason

25. Alan Pulido
Club: Chivas
Age: 26
Position: Striker
“Ready to take the crown as the best domestic striker from Peralta. Should be Gold Cup bound.” -Raul

Honorable mentions: Oribe Peralta, Rafael Marquez, Jose Juan Vazquez, Rodolfo Cota, Jorge Hernandez, Jesus Gallardo.

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