Some world-class players have showcased their skills in the Mexican League and here we learn about the top 10 Liga MX players of all time.
10. Paul Aguilar
Since his arrival in 2011, Paul Aguilar has been a model of consistency for Club America, holding down the right-back post on one of the best teams of the decade. Aguilar, who was not hesitant to move forward and into scoring opportunities, also provided plenty of defensive weight, whether he was asked to play as a wingback or in a back four.
With Las Aguilas, he won three league titles and a Copa MX, appeared in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, and is still demonstrating his worth to the Mexico City team at the age of 33.
9. Adalberto López
A real legend in the Mexican league! López scored a lot of goals over his 14 years as a professional soccer player, from 1941 to 1955, to rank among the highest scorers in the competition’s history.
He scored 201 goals while playing for five different Mexican teams. He scored 10 goals for Atlante, 126 for León, 14 for Atlas, 27 for Oro, and 24 for Chivas. López is also León’s all-time leading scorer, with 136 goals in all competitions.
8. Nestor Araujo
Nestor Araujo, who now plays for Celta Vigo in La Liga, was one of Santos Laguna’s most prominent players from 2013 to 2018. Despite being a right-footed player, Araujo was able to thwart attackers by lining up on the left side of the defence.
Despite being sidelined for much of the season leading up to Los Guerreros’ second victory in a decade, he consistently put up top-notch performances. When Araujo was awarded the league’s best defender in the 2017 Clausura, Santos did not win the title, but it was a significant step forward for Araujo and the club.
If he had wanted to go to Europe sooner, he could have done so. Araujo, on the other hand, left having won the league and the cup on two separate occasions.
7. Luis Montes
Montes scored 46 goals and assisted on dozens more throughout this decade. He was a vital member of Leon’s bicampeonato team, which became just the second team in league history to win back-to-back titles.
He’s not finished yet. Montes has continued to play an important role for Leon, returning from a horrible injury that kept him out of the 2014 World Cup to contribute to the regular-season champions’ campaign in the 2019 Clausura while getting glances from Mexico manager Tata Martino at the age of 33.
6. Luis Roberto Alves ‘Zague’
Zague, the team’s all-time leading scorer with 192 goals, is a household name among Club América fans. He is, nonetheless, a part of Mexican league history.
He began his professional career in 1985 with the “guilas” and retired in 2003. Zague scored 209 goals for three different clubs throughout that time period. With América, he scored 162 league goals, 24 with Atlante, and 23 with Necaxa.
5. Hirving Lozano
Hirving Lozano joined PSV in 2017, but he had previously started for Pachuca as a youth, having a huge impression on Tuzos. In 2016, “Chucky” played a key role in the team’s first title since 2007, and a year later, he starred in the team’s run to the Concacaf Champions League victory.
Lozano was practically unstoppable as a wide receiver for Pachuca, routinely topping the league’s list of most fouled players.
He finished his Pachuca career with 43 goals in 149 appearances, scoring at a better rate as he gained experience. His efforts for La Bella Airosa and the league as a whole will not be forgotten anytime soon.
4. Horacio Casarín
He began his career in 1936 with Necaxa and retired in 1957 with Monterrey. The striker had scored 238 league goals by the time he retired, making him the best scorer in the competition’s history at the time.
He spent his whole career in Mexico, notwithstanding a brief stay in Spain when he failed to sign with any team. He scored 107 goals for Atlante, 24 goals for Zacatepec, 21 goals for Club Espaa, 70 goals for Necaxa, 13 goals for América, and three goals for Monterrey.
3. Oribe Peralta
Oribe Peralta has three titles in the required time frame and has only been the league’s leading scorer once in the previous ten years. He has regularly been the finest Mexican striker in the tournament, however his form has slowed in recent years, and he is unlikely to reach 200 Liga MX goals in his career.
Nonetheless, throughout his time with Santos Laguna and America, Peralta was a force to be reckoned with, as he commanded dangerous lines and regularly scored huge goals in important games.
2. Jared Borgetti
He is the second-highest goalscorer in Mexican national team history, making him undoubtedly one of the most significant attackers in the country’s history. But he also excelled in the league, becoming Santos Laguna’s all-time leading scorer.
Borgetti made his professional debut in 1993 and played in England and Saudi Arabia until retiring in 2010. He finished his career in Mexico, scoring 252 league goals for eight different teams: Atlas (21 goals), Santos Laguna (189 goals), Dorados (8), Pachuca (8), Cruz Azul (7), Monterrey (10 goals), Puebla (5), and Morelia (5).
1. Evanivaldo Castro ‘Cabinho’
Cabinho, a Brazilian footballer, moved to Mexico in 1974 to join Pumas UNAM. He spent his whole professional career in the Mexican league, where he retired as the competition’s all-time leading scorer.
Aside from his remarkable 312 league goals, the former footballer has a long list of personal accomplishments. He scored 151 goals for Pumas, 108 goals for Atlante, 44 goals for León, and 44 goals for Tigres (9).
He also won the Golden Boot award eight times, a record that is unlikely to be broken any time soon. Cabinho is also the all-time leading scorer for two Mexican teams: Pumas (166 goals in all competitions) and Atlante (166 goals in all competitions) (108).