With the recent arrival of Sergio Canales to Rayados de Monterrey from Real Betis, the list of Spanish footballers who have set foot in North American soil continues to grow.
Here, let’s talk about the Spanish figures who have made the move to LIGA MX over the years.
The first to come was Isidro Lángara, who arrived in 1943 to join the then Real Club España.
‘El Buitre’ Emilio Butragueño left Real Madrid after winning everything with the team to join Atlético Celaya in 1995.
Michel González left Real Madrid in 1996 to be part of Atlético Celaya, where he reunited with Butragueño and Hugo Sánchez.
Carlos Muñoz arrived at Club Puebla in 1996, coming from Atlético de Madrid. He also had a second stint with Lobos BUAP in the year 2000.
José Mari Bakero arrived in 1997 to play with Veracruz after belonging to Barcelona for almost 9 years.
Another player who arrived from Barcelona to Mexican football was Pep Guardiola, the current Manchester City manager, who was part of Dorados de Sinaloa in 2006.
After performing well in clubs like Liverpool, Barcelona, and Atlético de Madrid, Luis García Sanz arrived as a major reinforcement at Puebla in 2011. Later, Pumas signed him.
Álvaro Fidalgo was the last Spanish player to set foot in Mexican territory. He joined Club América in 2021 from Real Madrid Castilla.
Now, Sergio Canales makes the move from Betis. Previously, he played for Real Sociedad, Valencia, and Real Madrid. The Spanish midfielder joins to play in Leagues Cup and the Apertura 2023 tournament of LIGA MX.
In 2012, Oriol Rosell arrived at Sporting Kansas City after terminating his contract with Barcelona. In 2014, he returned to the old continent and in 2018, he came back to the United States to play with Orlando City, Sporting Kansas City, and LA Galaxy.
Undoubtedly, the most important Spanish figure that has arrived in MLS is David Villa. 'El Guaje' arrived in 2014 at NYCFC after being champion with Atlético de Madrid and Barcelona.
Víctor Rodríguez arrived soon after, joining Seattle Sounders in 2017 from Sporting de Gijón.
Ilie Sánchez Farrés, better known as Ilie, is a Barcelona youth product who arrived in the United States in 2017 to play with Sporting Kansas City. He now plays for Los Angeles FC.
Since 2019, Carles Gil has been one of the standout foreigners in MLS. He had stints with important teams like Aston Villa, Valencia, and Deportivo La Coruña. In the USA, he has only played for New England Revolution.
In 2022, another Barcelona youth product, Christian Tello, joined LAFC and won 3 titles in the only season he played in the United States.
Also, in 2022, Riqui Puig left Barcelona's first team to play with LA Galaxy and find the regularity that his career needed.
