The Greatest Mexican Footballers of All-Time
Mexico’s 5 Greatest-Ever Football Players
Mexico is a huge footballing nation, and this is seen at the FIFA World Cup, where Mexico featured in the inaugural competition.
El Tri have participated in seventeen World Cup tournaments, and they have qualified consecutively since 1994. Only five other countries have achieved this feat!
Mexico also made it to the knockout rounds in each and every tournament since 1994, with only Brazil matching this.
Mexico have eleven confederation titles to their name made up of eight CONCACAF Gold Cups and three CONCACAF Championships.
With sustained success over many different eras, ranking the best Mexican players is an extremely difficult task.
In this article, find out more about the top 5 Mexican football players in history.
5. Javier Hernandez: Caps - 109, Goals -52
Javier Hernandez is Mexico’s all-time leading goal scorer- and he has been prolific everywhere that he’s played.
Hernandez’s only piece of silverware with his nation was in the 2011 Gold Cup victory over the United States 4-2. Chicharito earned the MVP award for the best player at that tournament, scoring the most goals as he found the net seven times.
Hernandez has scored at three World Cups for Mexico, which is a record he shares with Rafael Marquez and Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
Hernandez’ lack of success at a national level has definitely affected his reputation. As a deadly penalty box striker with a solid supporting cast, Hernandez perhaps could have achieved more than he did.
Hernandez played for many top European clubs, including Real Madrid and Manchester United. With these clubs, he won two Premier League titles.
The 34-year-old is still active at LA Galaxy in the MLS, where he continues to sustain his goal-scoring record.
4. Jorge Campos: Caps - 130
Jorge Campos was a legendary goalkeeper for El Tri. His remarkable ability between the sticks left a truly iconic mark on Mexican footballing history.
Campos was a leader for El Tri in the 1990s, appearing in 130 games while donning the green jersey, including eight World Cup games spanning across USA 1994 and France 1998.
On home turf, he showcased some of his most impressive performances. Campos also starred centre stage as Mexico lifted the Gold Cup in 1993 and 1996.
In 1999, Mexico defeated Brazil at the Confederations Cup to win their first title.
Campos began his professional career at UNAM, but he had to wait a year to play goalkeeper as the team already had a shotstopper.
The spectacular athlete consequently spent one season as a striker. Campos was a champion for Mexico, and he even won the CONCACAF Champions League at club level.
He went on to win the MLS Cup while at Chicago Fire.
3. Cuauhtemoc Blanco: Caps - 120, Goals - 38
Cuauhtemoc Blanco is second among the all-time scorers for El Tri, with thirty-nine goals scored for his country.
His contributions were vital in Mexico's Gold Cup wins of 1996 and 1998. Blanco was also awarded the Silver Ball and Boot following the tournament.
His career was outstanding, and he contributed each and every time he stepped on the field.
Blanco was an engine in his prime. He developed from an electric footballer to a controller of the tempo as he got older.
He was able to sprint from box to box, and with his exceptional reading of the game, vision and ball control he could choose when to pass the ball or to launch an explosive effort at the goal.
Blanco scored 181 goals for 10 different teams, and his most notable club achievements came with Club America, where he won the CONCACAF Champions League twice, first in 1992 and then 14 years later in 2006.
2. Rafael Marquez: Caps - 147, Goals - 17
Without question, Rafael Marquez is by far the best defender Mexico has ever had!
Marquez won everything in his club career.
At Barcelona, he won La Liga, Copa del Rey, Supercopa de Espana, UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup, as he was a key segment of perhaps the greatest Barcelona team to ever exist.
He also won the league and cup in France with Monaco and Liga MX with Leon in the closing stages of his career.
Marquez played a massive part in Mexico's 1999 Confederations Cup, the 2003 Gold Cup and the 2011 World Cup with his country's team.
Marquez was an excellent leader who could keep his squad together in perilous circumstances. He had excellent passing, he was able to spray long-range passes and also very capable of shooting from distance.
1. Hugo Sanchez: Caps - 58, Goals - 29
The number one spot will always belong to Hugo Sanchez! In the eyes of Mexico, he is one of the greatest strikers to ever exist.
Sanchez was given the title of best CONCACAF player of the twentieth century by the International Football Federation of History and Statistics.
A renowned legend at Real Madrid, Sanchez was named in Los Blancos’ all-time XI. This was even more impressive given the fact that he made a controversial switch from city rivals Atletico Madrid.
Scoring 164 times in 207 games, he made a name for himself as one of the greatest La Liga forwards- and his contributions helped Madrid gain five league titles.
He notably represented Mexico in three World Cups in 1978, 1986 and 1994- but he only recorded twenty-nine goals for his country.
This was partially due to the suspension of his country by FIFA during his golden years. This prevented Mexico from competing in the 1990 World Cup.
Sanchez’ consistency, endurance and ferocity forged a legendary career- and he is a tremendous footballer adored by his nation, Real Madrid fans and many more.
