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10 Best Mexican Football (Soccer) Players of All times

 Part of the teams that will feature in the 2022 World Cup, this South American nation has had some great footballers throughout the years. Some of them have made it to European clubs, and others have played in the local league. Success, ability, and lots of fans are some of the things they have in common, despite their role on the pitch. From goalkeepers to strikers here’s a list of some of the finest footballers that Mexico has had in its history.

The Mexico world cup 2022 squad is already in Qatar. They will be relying on their 2014 hero Ochoa and Real Betis’ 177-cap Guardado each at their fifth World Cup, and former Espanyol and PSV center-back Hector Moreno at his fourth. Their boss Gerardo Martino has also had some World Cup success, too: he led Paraguay to the 2010 quarter-finals.

However, El Tri,  as the team is commonly known has suffered recently from injuries – most notably to bustling Sevilla winger Tecatito – and a loss of form. Their opener against Poland could be key to an eighth straight last-16 appearance.  Another concern is a big drop in quality between the older generation and the one set for World Cup bows in Qatar. Jimenez’s indifferent Wolves form is also a worry. 

 1. Hugo S谩nchez

Hugo Sanchez 1988. Author Bogaerts, Rob / Anefo.

Hugo S谩nchez Marquez is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager, who played as a forward.  He was a prolific goal scorer with spectacular strikes and volleys. Many Mexicans believe that S谩nchez is their greatest Mexican footballer of all time.

 After a few seasons in the local league and a year with the San Diego Sockers, Hugo joined Atl茅tico Madrid. He played four seasons with the Red and Whites before moving to Real Madrid, where he spent seven years playing with some of the finest footballers.

 He won the Pichichi award five times, four of them with Real Madrid, and helped the Merengues secure five La Liga titles, one Copa Del Rey and three Supercopa de Espa帽a. Hugo was also recognized by the IFFHS as CONCACAF’s best Player of the Century and named in Real Madrid鈥檚 all-time greatest XI.  He also represented Mexico in three World Cups (1978, 1986, and 1994) managing to score 29 goals, thus he sits seventh in the all-time scorer’s list.

In terms of his style of play, S谩nchez was fast, and strong and knew where he needed to be at the exact moment. His accuracy and fierceness were key to his success. He held the Real Madrid record for most goals scored in one season) for 21 years, including his famous bicycle kick; before Cristiano Ronaldo broke it in 2011.

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 2. Rafael Marquez

Rafael Marquez September 2011. Author F. Vera | DailyHarrison.com.

Rafael Marquez 脕lvarez is a Mexican former professional footballer and current head coach of the Spanish team Barcelona Atl猫tic. Nicknamed El K谩iser, Marquez is regarded as the best defender in Mexico’s history and one of the best Mexican players of all time.

He sits comfortably as the third most-capped player in the history of the Mexico national football team, earning 147 caps throughout his career. In 2018, he became only the fourth player to play for his national team in five consecutive editions of the FIFA World Cup, alongside compatriot Antonio Carbajal, Lothar Matth盲us, and Gianluigi Buffon, appearing in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 tournaments. He is also the Mexican player with the most World Cup matches played with 19.

With the national team, Marquez won the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, and the 2003 and 2011 editions of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. An idol of the Mexican, he is also the first Mexican to win the UEFA Champions League. Marquez’ leadership and endurance are two of his best assets. His ball touch is accurate and delicate, but he also knows how to score, as he has a super header.

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3. Jorge Campos

Jorge Campos in 2016. Author Biser Todorov.

Jorge Campos Navarrete is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. A notable player of Mexico in the 1990s and early 2000s, Campos was an eccentric player, known for his constant play outside the penalty area, often functioning as a sweeper-keeper, as well as his acrobatic, risky, and flamboyant style of goalkeeping, and stood out with his colorful playing attire.

His main strengths as a goalkeeper were his leaping ability, athleticism, and speed when rushing off his line, as well as his ability to organize his defense, which enabled him to overcome his short stature. He was regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation.

Unknown to many, Campos also made for an effective striker, an uncommon example of versatility in football that is rarely seen in today’s game. At times, he would start a game in goal, and transfer up field later in the match, mostly at the club level. In total, he scored 35 goals throughout his career, scoring all but one while playing for UNAM. His trademark, self-designed bright kits contributed to his popularity.

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4. Cuauht茅moc Blanco

Blanco is considered one of the most influential figures in recent Mexican footballing history.  As a Mexican politician and former professional footballer, he is the current Governor of Morelos under the coalition Juntos Haremos Historia. He formerly served as the municipal president of Cuernavaca, Morelos. As a footballer, Blanco was known for his attacking ability and played most of his career as a deep-lying forward and his last years as an attacking midfielder. Blanco is considered to be one of the greatest Mexican footballers of all time, as well as one of the best penalty takers of all time.

He is the second all-time scorer of El Tri, with 39 goals. He debuted in 1992 with Club Am茅rica and spent there 12 seasons, although not consecutively. He played with Necaxa, Real Valladolid and Veracruz in between. Later, he left to the United States and joined Chicago Fire for three seasons. He currently plays for Dorados de Sinaloa of the Ascenso MX (promotion league). He became a key player for El Tri in 1999 at the Confederations Cup, where he scored six times and received the Silver Ball and Silver Boot.

Quite a controversial player, his brash, aggressive, and confrontative playing style is reflected both on and off the field, pulling ingenious plays and being combative against the press, players, and coaches alike.

He is also remembered for the Cuauhtemi帽a, or Blanco Trick, which he performed notably at the 1998 World Cup. In the trick, when two or more opposition players are trying to take the ball from him, he traps the ball between his feet and jumps through the defenders, releasing the ball in the air and landing with it under control as he leaves the opposition players behind. The trick is easy to perform but is eye-catching and has been incorporated as a special skill into the FIFA series of football video games.

5. Horacio Casar铆n

Horacio Casar铆n Garcilazo was a Mexican professional football player and coach who established himself as one of his country’s most popular sports figures in the 1940s and 1950s.

A symbol for Atlante, the team Casar铆n served for the majority of his career, the skilled forward also played for several teams in his country including Necaxa, Le贸n, Asturias, Club Am茅rica, Real Espa帽a, Monterrey and Zacatepec., as well as FC Barcelona in Spain and the Selecci贸n de f煤tbol de M茅xico (Mexico national team).

The late Horacio Casar铆n debuted as a defender, but he was eventually moved to the attacking zone. He played his first professional soccer match at the age of 17 years old. In 1938 he was part of the national team that secured the gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games held in Panama.  Unfortunately as he was going through his best moment, a serious injury sidelined him; Necaxa fans were so angry that they burnt the Asturias’ stadium. He had to stay out for two years before returning to professional football with Atlante. After seven seasons with that club he left to Barcelona, but couldn’t shine as he did in Mexico and returned quickly. It should be remembered that he played the 1950 FIFA World Cup and he retired as the all-time Mexican scorer, with 256 goals to his count.

6. Luis Hern谩ndez

Luis Hern谩ndez. Author Juan David Presa.

Luis Arturo Hern谩ndez Carre贸n played as a striker and is the fourth all-time leading scorer of the Mexico national team with 35 goals, and the joint-highest goalscorer in World Cups. He is widely regarded as one of Mexico’s most talented strikers.

Coincidentally, he shares the third place in the all-time Mexico top scorers鈥� table with Carlos Hermosillo. He played for Cruz Azul in his debut season (1991/1992); however, it was not until 1995 when he came to the limelight. He was called to the first team and played his first World Cup in 1998. In the tournament, he had four goals, becoming Mexico’s best scorer in World Cups and the first to score more than twice in the same edition.

Hern谩ndez was incredibly fast and strong, thus was known to challenge the defenders and stealing the ball from them repeatedly.

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7. Luis Garcia

Luis Javier Garcia Sanz is also included in the list of the Mexican greats and played as a winger. Although naturally left-footed, he was skilled with both feet and had a good aerial game, despite a small frame.

 He debuted when he was 17 years old with UNAM, the club where he scored more than in any other, with a total of 69 goals. He was a natural-born striker that went to Spain in 1992 to play for Atl茅tico Madrid. He was the most successful Mexican footballer in Spain since Hugo S谩nchez left the country.  Between 1991 and 1999, Luis Garcia appeared in 79 games wearing El Tri’s jersey and scored 29 times.

8. Jared Borgetti

Jared Francisco Borgetti Echavarr铆a is a Mexican former professional footballer who currently works as a commentator for ESPN Deportes and ESPN Mexico. As a player, Borgetti was known as a prolific goal scorer at both club and national level, and was renowned for his heading ability.

Jared Borgetti is Mexico national team all-time scorer, with 46 goals. He played for Atlas, Santos Laguna, Dorados, Pachuca, Bolton Wanderers, Al-Ittihad, Cruz Azul, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Puebla, Morelia and Le贸n. During his club career he scored 252 goals and was the first Mexican to play in the English Premier League. Borgetti was a clever striker and especially accurate when it came to headers.

9. Claudio Suarez

 No one has played more times with the Mexico national team than Claudio Suarez. He was capped 178 times and captained the squad for many years.  He is also viewed as one of the toughest center-backs the country has seen. Luckily, his physical attributes set him as a strong, fast and skillful footballer. For a great player that he was, he lifted three Gold Cups and a Confederations Cup. He also scored six goals with El Tri and 53 with the clubs he played for.

Nicknamed El Emperador (The Emperor), he has the record for most caps with the Mexico national football team, as well as fifth place all-time, after Egyptian midfielder Ahmed Hassan, Spaniard defender Sergio Ramos, and Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Deayea.

10. Oswaldo S谩nchez

Oswaldo S谩nchez. Author Arie R.

Oswaldo Javier S谩nchez Ibarra is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper and is currently a sports analyst for Televisa Deportes. He is highly regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in Mexican football history.

The Santos Laguna goalkeeper dubbed San Oswaldo because of his stunning saves was named best goalkeeper of the 2005 Confederations Cup and the third best goalkeeper of the 2006 World Cup.

 He has appeared in tournaments like FIFA World Cup qualifier (1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010), Copa Am茅rica (2004 and 2007), Confederations Cup (2001 and 2005), Gold Cup (2003 and 2007) and World Cup (2006).

11. H茅ctor Herrera

H茅ctor Herrera. Author Zaitsev Anton.

He  is a Mexican professional soccer player who plighs his trade as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo and the Mexico national team.

Coming in with alot of experience, he began his career with Pachuca in 2010 and spent three years at the club before joining European giants FC Porto where he struggled before earning a place in the first eleven. Since the 2015鈥�16 season, Herrera has also served as club captain at the same club. In his six years with Porto, Herrera made 245 appearances across all competitions, winning a Primeira Liga title and two Supertaca cups.

Making his international debut in 2012, Herrera won the Olympic gold medal in that year’s football tournament, and was part of Mexico’s winning team at the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He has represented his country at the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cup, the 2013 and 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, and the Copa America Centenario.

The ever tireless Herrera is as a box-to-box midfielder with ability to hold opponents and also distribute the ball or shoot the ball on target. He is also known for his pace and dynamism, as well as being capable of breaking up opposition attacks with his tough tackling and starting his team’s own forays forward with his sharp distribution and tireless running. These skills will be needed to help his team advance in the competition.

12. Andres Guardado

Andres Guardado. Author Victor Araiza.

Jos茅 Andr茅s Guardado Hern谩ndez  is a Mexican professional soccer player who plays as amidfielder for La Liga club Real Betis and is also the captain of the Mexican national team.

Popularly known as Principito (Little princess), Guardado’s journey can be traced through the youth ranks at Atlas, making his professional debut in 2005 before signing with Spain’s  Deportivo two years later, where he spent five seasons. In 2012 he moved to Valencia, with brief loan stints at Bayer Leverkusen and PSV, before permanently joining the latter club in 2015 and winning two Eredivisie titles. He returned to Spain two years later with Real Betis, where he has since made over 175 appearances.

It is every player’s dream to play in the world cup. Therefore, it is not surprising that Guardado has appeared in four World Cups. two Copa Americas and two Confederations Cups. He is also the most-capped player in the history of the national team with 178 appearances, and joint tenth on the all-time scorer list with 28 goals.

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13. Guillermo Ochoa

Guillermo Ochoa. Author BrokenSphere.

Francisco Guillermo Ochoa Maga帽a commonly referred to as Memo, is a Mexican professional  goalkeeper for Liga MX club America as well as being the captain, and the Mexican national team.

He started his professional football career in 2004 with Club America in a Mexican league match against Monterrey. A yea later, he won his first league title  and cemented his position as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper up until 2011, making over 200 appearances for Am茅rica. That summer Ochoa was transferred to Ajaccio in France. He spent three seasons with the club until their relegation from Ligue 1. In 2014, Ochoa joined Malaga but failed to establish himself in the team. In July 2016, he went on to play for Granada on a season-long loan. In July 2017, he joined Standard Liege before moving to Liga MX club America where he still remains upto today.

Having represented Mexico internationally for over 15years, he has been included in the squads for the 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 FIFA World Cups, the 2013 and 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2004 Summer Olympics and 2020 Summer Olympics, the 2007 Copa America, the Copa America Centenario, the 2007, 2009, 2015, and 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and was originally in the2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup before being suspended from the competition due to false doping allegations.

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14. Ra煤l Jim茅nez

Ra煤l Alonso Jim茅nez Rodr铆guez  is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Mexico National Team.

A product of an academy, Jim茅nez began his career in Club Ameic’s youth system before debuting in the first division in October 2011.He had to wait until 2013 before winning his first championship with Am茅rica. He also won the Clausura tournament, and was the team’s second-highest goalscorer.  In August 2014, he went to Europe where he joined Spanish side Atletico Madrid. After one season, he signed for Benfica, with whom he won two consecutive league titles, among other major honours. He had a massive 120 appearances and scored 31 goals during his three years with the Portuguese side. In June 2018, Jim茅nez joined Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan, and was the team’s top-scorer with 17 goals across all competitions. He joined Wolves on a permanent basis the following year, and became an instrumental and prolific striker, though spent nine months out with a serious head injury between November 2020 and August 2021.

He was also part of the Mexico under-23 squad that won the gold medal at the Summer Olympics in 2012. A full international since 2013, Jim茅nez has represented his country at the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cup, the 2013 and 2019 CONCOCAF Gold Cup, the 2013 and 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2015 Copa America, and the Copa America Centenario.

Always hungry for the ball, Jim茅nez is known for his physical presence in the penalty area, as well as his ability to hold-up play and his strength in the air, which allows him to head long passes on or bring the ball down and bring others into play. Despite not being very much physically endowed, he has been able to show that he not just a “traditional number nine,” but a “well-rounded player.” He is often compared to the great Zlatan Ibrahimovic and has a high penalty conversion rate

15. Edson Alvarez

AEdson Omar 脕lvarez Vel谩zquez , also known as El Mach铆n, is a Mexican professional footballer who plays for Eredivisie club Ajax and the Mexico national team as a midfielder and is  also capable of playing as a central-back.

 Despite his parents鈥� resistance, Alvarez started out playing at the age of 14 at Pachuca鈥檚 youth team and Club America鈥檚 youth team and eventually made the team after a three-month tryout after contemplating quitting football.

A  consistent player and a favorite in Amsterdam, he鈥檚 improved massively over the last 18 months, being a crucial part of Erik ten Hag鈥檚 team last season and in this short campaign so far, he has been Schreuder鈥檚 most important figure.

The Mexican is undroppable, providing consistency and industry in the midfield, while occasionally popping in with a goal, such as the header he scored from a corner against Rangers in the Champions League.

His best attributes are involved in stopping the opposition tackles, interceptions and timing. He us said to possess the right attributes for the role he is in, which is why he鈥檚 so well revered and gives him a chance to cement his position in the national team.