The next destination of our alphabetical world tour is Mexico. A proud footballing nation, Mexico have missed only five World Cup Finals tournaments since 1930, but have come unstuck in the last 16 in the previous seven editions of the tournament.
Mexico were relatively late to the Premier League party; their first player making his debut in 2005, but a further nine have appeared since then with one still a Premier League player today.
First Player – Jared Borgetti (Bolton Wanderers; 2005-06)
A legendary figure in his homeland, striker Jared Borgetti spent 2005/06 with Premier League side Bolton Wanderers as he approached the twilight years of his career. He scored twice in 19 league games for the Trotters, bagging a further five in cup matches as Bolton finished eighth, narrowly missing out on a second consecutive season in Europe.
Either side of his year in England, Borgetti played the majority of his club career in Mexico, appearing for 10 Mexican clubs. He scored an impressive 46 goals in 89 appearances for Mexico and is currently their second-highest goal scorer of all time, behind Javier Hernandez (52).
Records
- Most appearances – Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez (158)
- First appearance – Jared Borgetti (BOLTON 2-0 Newcastle, August 24th 2005)
- Most goals – Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez (53)
- First goal – Jared Borgetti (BOLTON 2-0 Man City, January 21st 2006)
Current/Most Recent Players
Raul Jimenez is the only Mexican currently in the Premier League, playing for Wolves since their promotion in 2018, initially on loan. Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez (Manchester United and West Ham United) and Miguel Layun (Watford) have also featured in the last five years.
Trivia
- Of the 15 current CONCACAF nations to have been represented in the Premier League, only Canada (11), Trinidad and Tobago (12), Jamaica (38) and USA (45) have had more players than Mexico’s 10.
- Chicharito (52) and Jared Borgetti (46) are the top two scorers in the history of the Mexico national team.
- Three of the 10 Mexicans to have played in the Premier League played for West Ham (Chicharito, Pablo Barrera and Guillermo Franco).
