5 Mexico Players Whose Stock Fell at 2014 World Cup

Mexico's stellar performance was not so bright for some players.

There were five footballers who hoped to have a fantastic performance in order to secure their move to bigger clubs or simply prove themselves.

However, they couldn't accomplish the feat either because they stayed on the bench or because their endurance and efficiency weren't as sharp as everyone expected.

Let's take a look at them.

Oribe Peralta

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Yes, Oribe Peralta scored once against Cameroon. Actually, it was the winner for Mexico, but other than that, the Club America striker couldn't make a difference.

Rafael Marquez, Andres Guardado, Javier Hernandez and Giovani dos Santos were the authors of the other four goals that El Tri had in their favor.

Peralta only won 27 percent of the duels in which he was involved and only had three shots on target in four games. Instead of being Mexico's deadliest forward, he took the passenger seat.

El Hermoso didn't meet expectations, especially since he was named 2013 CONCACAF Player of the Year and was the top Mexican scorer of the 2014 Clausura tournament.

Hector Moreno

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Hector Moreno appears on this list because of his injury; it has nothing to do with his performance throughout the tournament.

The Espanyol center back was hoping to change clubs as soon as the World Cup was over. However, he suffered a fractured tibia after a tackle in Mexico's round-of-16 match.

According to talkSPORT, both Tottenham and Manchester United were looking into the Mexican defender.

Unfortunately, Moreno will be sidelined at least six months, which will make his transfer almost impossible.

Raul Jimenez

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Before the World Cup, German newspaper WAZ suggested (via ESPNFC.com) that Wolfsburg was interested in signing Raul Jimenez.

According to ESPN Deportes (Spanish), on June 18, the Mexican striker recognized that there had already been an offer but that the deal was still in the air.

Jimenez only played 10 minutes in Brazil, in the scoreless draw with the host. In that time, he couldn't do much and only shot once.

Could his future with the European club be in danger?

Alan Pulido

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Alan Pulido amazed in his debut with Mexico's senior team. He started against South Korea and scored a hat trick in late January.

Later, he came in as a sub in the other five warm-ups but failed to appear in the World Cup.

It could have been his first big shot with El Tri after becoming one of the youngsters to follow thanks to his performances with the underage teams (U-23 and U-20).

Greek newspaper Sport Day linked Pulido to Olympiakos last May, according to Goal.com.

Carlos Pena

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Carlos Pena had locked up the starting position since Miguel Herrera capped him for the two-legged playoff against New Zealand.

However, the Leon midfielder lost it in a matter of days to Andres Guardado after the Bayer Leverkusen footballer went back to his old self.

In the warm-ups, Pena proved his worth by joining the attack through long-distance shots and runs to the box, from where he could pass the ball or shoot at close range.

Unfortunately, El Gullit only came in as a sub in the match versus Croatia, which El Tri was already winning 2-0.

Pena only sent four passes and made one clearance in the 12 minutes he spent on the pitch.

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