5 Mexicans to Star in the Champions League
This season three Mexican footballers will play in the UEFA Champions League. However, from 1988 to 2014, 19 players have had the chance to appear in the continental tournament.
Strikers, midfielders and defenders, all of them have tried hard to succeed among the best of the best. Not all of them have managed to accomplish the feat; but those who have, have been impressive.
Players the likes of Rafael Marquez and Javier Hernandez have proved that Mexico are growing fast and that technique and quality are on the up every year.
Let's take a look at five Mexicans who have made a difference with their respective clubs in the Champions League.
5. Carlos Salcido (PSV Eindhoven)
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Carlos Salcido left Mexican club Guadalajara when the 2006 World Cup was over. El Tri's strong performance in the tournament and the 2005 Confederations Cup was the icing in the cake before the centre-back left the country.
As soon as he arrived in PSV Eindhoven he took over the starting position, which included three successive Champions League editions: 2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09.
Salcido faced some of the most respected footballers: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Steven Gerrard, Simao Sabrosa, Peter Crouch, Sergio Aguero, Dirk Kuyt and Robbie Keane, to name a few.
Although Salcido never advanced to the knockout stage with the Red and Whites, he was instrumental in shaping the defense.
Appearances: 21
Goals: 0
4. Nery Castillo (Olympiakos and Shakhtar Donetsk)
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Once upon a time Nery Castillo was a prolific scorer for Greek club Olympiakos.
In the 2003/04 edition of the Champions League, Castillo scored against Galatasaray and Real Sociedad. He appeared a total five times.
Two years later Olympiakos was part of Group D, which marked Castillo's return to the continental competition, and he proved to be worthy of the opportunity.
He put the ball against Valencia and Shakhtar Donetsk (twice). By that time, his total tally of five goals set him as the second-best all-time Mexican scorer of the Champions League.
He added another goal to his count during the 2007/08 qualification process, while representing Shakhtar Donetsk. Castillo scored the third goal versus Red Bull Salzburg, helping his club secure a ticket for the group stage.
His performance in Europe resulted in his first cap for the national team. In 2007 he played in the Gold Cup and Copa America, plus he appeared in seven World Cup qualifiers, as reported by ESPN FC.
Appearances: 17
Goals: 6
3. Javier Hernandez (Manchester United and Real Madrid)
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Javier Hernandez's debut season with Manchester United was a dream come true.
The Mexican won the Premier League title, the fans picked him as the best player of the team, and he scored four goals in the first edition of the Champions League in which he participated, more than any other Mexican in his first try.
Hernandez played the final match, vs. Barcelona, held in the Wembley Stadium. Although the Red Devils lost 3-1, Chicharito became the first Mexican to play in this instance since Rafael Marquez did so in May 2006 against Arsenal.
After the 2010/11 competition, Hernandez hasn't appeared in every subsequent edition.
However, the last time he put the ball away in the Champions League was in 2012, when he grabbed three goals, all vs. Braga (two in the first leg).
Now, Chicharito will try to catch up with Hugo Sanchez, who has a total tally of 17 goals in the event.
Appearances: 25
Goals: 7
2. Hugo Sanchez (Real Madrid)
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Hugo Sanchez is the all-time Mexican scorer of the Champions League (formerly European Cup). He played in five editions with Real Madrid (1986/87, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1989/90 and 1990/91).
Despite being one of the best strikers of his time, Sanchez couldn't win the tournament; in turn, he played three consecutive semifinals, against Bayern Munich, PSV Eindhoven and AC Milan.
His most successful seasons were 1988/89, as he scored five goals (including a brace versus Gornik Zabrze) and 1990/91, when he put the ball away the same number of times, four of them against Austrian club Swarovski Tirol.
Sanchez scored in all the editions in which he appeared.
Appearances: 27
Goals: 17
1. Rafael Marquez (Monaco and Barcelona)
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Rafael Marquez is the only Mexican who has won the Champions League, and he did it twice: 2005/06 and 2008/09.
Marquez arrived in Barcelona in 2003 after a superb four-year period with Ligue 1 heavyweights Monaco.
With Frank de Boer's departure, Frank Rijkaard needed a strong centre-back who could keep the ball and also had fine touch and along came Marquez.
He earned the starting position quickly and made a difference in the attacking zone too. In his days with Barcelona he scored 12 times, including one in the Champions League, against Sporting.
Marquez also appeared in the 2000/01 (with Monaco) 2004/05, 2006/07 and 2007/08 editions.
Appearances: 46
Goals: 1
All stats appear courtesy of UEFA.com unless otherwise noted.
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