Top 25 Mexican Players

Top 25 Mexican Players (updated 3/3/17)

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: Amy Lopez, Jason Marquitz, Steve Graff, Tom Harrison, Bryan W, Joely Aceves, Jon Arnold and yours truly.

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

1. Javier Hernandez
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Age: 28
Position: Striker
“The man is on fire right now and the recognition is rightfully so. To see him in such great form for 2017 gives me lots of hope for the upcoming matches with El Tri.” -Amy

2. Andres Guardado
Club: PSV Eindhoven
Age: 30
Position: Midfielder
“Should be a big summer for him between the Confederations Cup and a potential MLS move.” -Jason

3. Carlos Vela
Club: Real Sociedad
Age: 28
Position: Striker
“With three goals in February, Vela continues to be a key part of Real Sociedad’s surprise Champions League push.” -Tom

4. Hector Moreno
Club: PSV Eindhoven
Age: 29
Position: Defender
“One of PSV’s most consistent players, game in and game out.” -Bryan

5. Jonathan dos Santos
Club: Villarreal
Age: 26
Position: Midfielder
“Once again, Dos Santos is proving to be influential for a Villarreal side that is eyeing a Champions League spot.” -Cesar

6. Jesus Manuel Corona
Club: Porto
Age: 24
Position: Midfielder/Striker
“His playing time with Porto is consistent and he always seems to try to contribute as much as possible. This should definitely benefit him when he has to step up as a midfielder for the national team.” -Amy

7. Miguel Layun
Club: Porto
Age: 28
Position: Defender
“Just now returning from injury, hopefully he could recapture the form that has him in this top ten.” -Jason

8. Raul Jimenez
Club: Benfica
Age: 25
Position: Striker
“A month-long injury hurt Raul, who’s yet to start a game in 2017. On the positive side, Benfica have a great chance of progressing in the Champions League.” -Tom

9. Hector Herrera
Club: Porto
Age: 26
Position: Midfielder
“Due to unfortunate circumstances, Hector wasn’t able to shine much against Juventus.” -Bryan

10. Hirving Lozano
Club: Pachuca
Age: 21
Position: Midfielder/Striker
“A move to Europe appears inevitable for Lozano. The big question is which team from abroad is willing to make the pricey investment on him.” -Cesar

11. Diego Reyes
Club: Espanyol
Age: 24
Position: Defender
“Everyone has a different opinion about Reyes and his performances with Espanyol. BUT, he is constantly given the starting position as well as the full 90, so that is something worth recognizing, especially considering he’s in Spain.” -Amy

12. Giovani dos Santos
Club: L.A. Galaxy
Age: 27
Position: Striker
“MLS is about to kick off again. Luckily, Conan kept him in mid-season form.” -Jason

13. Guillermo Ochoa
Club: Granada
Age: 31
Position: Goalkeeper
“Three wins in five has given Granada renewed hope of La Liga survival. Ochoa has been ever-present during Granada’s league campaign.” -Tom

14. Orbelin Pineda
Club: Chivas
Age: 20
Position: Midfielder
“A player with a lot in his arsenal. Should be a big year for Orbelin.” -Bryan

15. Marco Fabian
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Age: 27
Position: Midfielder
“Although injuries have kept the midfielder off the pitch in recent days, Fabian appears set to make his return in the near future.” -Cesar

16. Rodolfo Pizarro
Club: Chivas
Age: 23
Position: Midfielder
“He has four goals in eight appearances and just recently scored a brace for Chivas against Chiapas. He continues to let his performances do the talking.” -Amy

17. Oribe Peralta
Club: America
Age: 33
Position: Striker
“Another month passes and more vital goals find the back of the net for Cepillo.” -Jason

18. Carlos Salcedo
Club: Fiorentina
Age: 23
Position: Defender
“A few sub-par displays has seen Salcedo spending most of his time on the bench recently. However, rumors suggest Fiorentina will purchase the defender permanently.” -Tom

19. Alfredo Talavera
Club: Toluca
Age: 34
Position: Goalkeeper
“One of Liga MX’s most solid keepers, still.” -Bryan

20. Nestor Araujo
Club: Santos Laguna
Age: 25
Position: Defender
“Mexico’s most underrated defender? Araujo is one of the few Liga MX names who will likely earn a starting spot for El Tri this month.” -Cesar

21. Jurgen Damm
Club: Tigres
Age: 24
Position: Midfielder/Winger
“One of the players that gives us hope for the future of the national team. Just a few months younger than me (which is crazy), he may not score often but he gets playing time and shows why he deserves it.” -Amy

22. Javier Aquino
Club: Tigres
Age: 27
Position: Midfielder/Winger
“Out with an injury, he could be faced with a difficult situation regaining his place with Tigres.” -Jason

23. Erick Gutierrez
Club: Pachuca
Age: 21
Position: Midfielder
“Surprisingly, Guty wasn’t given another Mexico cap by Juan Carlos Osorio during Mexico’s recent friendly against Iceland. It would be hard to name a better deep-lying playmaker in Liga MX right now.” -Tom

24. Cesar Montes
Club: Monterrey
Age: 20
Position: Defender
“He continues to show why he has a lot of hype surrounding his name. I would love to see him starting in the Gold Cup this summer.” -Bryan

25. Jesus Molina
Club: Monterrey
Age: 28
Position: Midfielder
“He may not be the most thrilling player to watch, but Molina is still one of Mexico’s best defensive midfield options in the roster.” -Cesar

Honorable mentions: Rafael Marquez, Jose Juan Vazquez, Edson Alvarez, Alan Pulido, Isaac Brizuela.

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