Johan Vásquez was slow to make his debut for Genoa in Serie A, but he did it with the right foot. The Mexican central defender started the game against Sassuolo and scored the tying goal in the agonizing 89th minute after a header preceded by a corner kick. In this way, the soccer player of the Mexican National Team became the second Aztec player to score in the Italian first division.
More and more Mexican players emigrate to the Old Continent, but Italy has not been one of the most common destinations for Aztec ambassadors. Only six soccer players of Mexican nationality have had minutes in Serie A. This list does not take into account forward Pedro Pineda who, although he was part of the AC Milan squad, was never able to make his debut with the Rossoneri.
These are the Mexicans who have played in Serie A:
Miguel Layún only played two games with Atalanta de Bergamo, a team he came to from Veracruz. Having no activity, America repatriated him. In this club he lived his football rebirth.
After solid seasons with Chivas de Guadalajara, Carlos Salcedo made the leap to European football in 2016. The central defender could not be consistent with Fiorentina and later moved on to Eintracht Frankfurt, where he grew as a player.
After becoming one of the great figures of León, Rafael Márquez returned to European football. The legendary central defender joined the Hellas Verona squad in 2014. Márquez continued to showcase talent despite his age.
The Mexican central defender arrived at AS Roma after shining with PSV Eindhoven. Moreno could not acclimatize to Italian football. With the Roman squad he only played six games. ‘Monchi’, Roma sports director at the time, indicated that Moreno’s hiring was a mistake.
After his successful stint in the Eredivisie, Hirving Lozano was signed for a record number by Napoli. Lozano has fought to become the undisputed starter of the celestial team, but he is regular in the line-ups, regardless of who is the responsible coach.
The central defender came to Italian soccer from Pumas after his great performance in both Liga MX and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. He finally made his debut this weekend and scored a goal.
#Mexicans #played #Italian #soccer