Uriel Antuna wants to return to European football, because at the age of 18 he had a short experience that he could not consolidate. We present other cases of players who left their legacy on the old young continent in order to transcend
Uriel Antuna stressed that he would rather try his luck in European football than be champion with Chivas and does not even rule out America as a team in which he can land in the future, however, his second chance in the Passes League BBVA MX and the numbers it records are far from worthy of attracting the spotlight of the “Old Continent”.
For this reason, ESPN presents the perspectives of young Mexicans who have crossed the Atlantic Ocean, but returned with empty suitcases from their journey to other latitudes.
Uriel Antuna
Uriel Antuna was the first sale of Santos Laguna by a Mexican footballer, a youth team, to European football. City football team, owners of Manchester City, New York, among others, noticed the 18-year-old midfielder. He was considered a prospect to join one of the teams with which City Group had relations, so he arrived at FC Groningen from Eredivisie.
He added 19 games and five U21 goals and 22 games with the Division I team. Two years later, the owners of his federal rights loaned him to LA Galaxy, where he stood out until he caught the attention of national team coach Gerardo Martino. of Mexico that took him to the Gold Cup and where he stood out for his ability.
In January 2020, Chivas paid $ 9.9 million for his services, but now Antuna is looking to return to European football.
Efrain Juarez
The 2005 U-17 right-handed world champion in Lima drew FC Barcelona’s attention at the end of the competition and left for Catalonia to join La Masía, however, his dream was shortened as he was a year away from Lima. He came of age and his only option was to play with the branch or the first team, so on Monday he left the Blaugrana club to return to Mexico, as he could only train.
Juárez made his professional debut in 2008 with Pumas, a club he stayed with until after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, as his good performances with El Tri attracted the attention of Celtic Glasgow.
His beginnings in Scottish football looked promising, as he was the undisputed head coach of Neil Lennon, however, a separate injury from the domestic competition and the coach asked for patience until he had a new opportunity, which did not come.
Thanks to Javier Aguirre, then coach of Zaragoza, Juárez left the “Celts” and went to the Iberian Peninsula to play on loan for the club, but he did not adapt to Spanish football.
In 2012, he signed a contract with Celtic and arrived in America with a letter in hand.
Pablo Barrera
Pablo Barrera was another departure for Pumas after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, thanks to his outstanding participation with El Tri during the tournament, and English clubs such as Manchester United showed interest in his services, although in the end signed with West Ham United for two seasons.
In his first season with the Hammers, Barrera played only 742 minutes, divided into 14 games, six as a starter and did not get a thumbs up from coach Avram Grant. A season later, he left for Real Zaragoza to meet Javier Aguirre and Efraín Juárez.
With “blanquillos”, Barrera played 20 duels, of which twelve of them as a starter and scored a goal, however, the loan ended and his European adventure ended in 2012, with Cruz Azul as the next destination.
Ulysses Davila
At the age of 20, Ulysses Dávila left Chivas to sign for Chelsea for the next five years, however, he never wore the “Blue” jersey and became a borrowed globetrotter.
In the 2011-12 season, Dávila participated in the Eredivisie with Vitesse, a club in which he was demoted on the bench and added only 115 minutes of action in the league, divided into two duels.
The following year, the Jaliscience midfielder wore the Sabadell shirt in LaLiga2, a team with which he scored 2,205 minutes after participating in 35 games, 22 as a starter and scoring four goals.
In a new challenge in the Spanish silver category, the midfielder was part of Córdoba who was promoted to LaLiga in the 2013-14 campaign and was the author of the dramatic goal with which the team was promoted in the Play-Off match. In total, Dávila participated in 37 games and moved the nets seven times.
Dávila Plascencia’s next destination was in the Canary Islands with Tenerife, an entity with which he lost pace, with only 502 minutes divided into ten duels and one goal.
The last stop before returning to Mexico was Vitoria Setubal in Portuguese football, a club with which he did not stand out, since he barely participated in 14 duels in a season and a half and did not see the door.
In the second half of the 2015-16 campaign, he returned to the Liga BBVA MX with Santos Laguna, before taking off again in 2018 to be part of Indian football with Odisha and a year later with Wellington Phoenix in Australia.
Raúl Gudiño
In the 2014-15 season, the Guadalajara goalkeeper left Chivas Sub-20 for Porto B on loan for one year with the option to buy and participated in 16 duels.
A season later, the Blue Dragons stayed with the goalkeeper, who guarded the branch door 22 times before being loaned to Uniao Madeira.
Returning to Porto B, Gudiño completed the 2016-17 cycle with 26 starts and eight substitutions.
A campaign was later loaned to Apoel Nicosia in Cyprus, a team with which he played two four-cup league matches and one Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund.
Starting with the 2018-19 season, Gudiño is part of Chivas, a club where he also had ups and downs and alternates ownership with Antonio Rodríguez.
Jonathan Espericueta
The Monterrey midfielder was part of the Mexican under-17 national team that won the specialty World Cup in 2011, however, his career has declined since then.
After not seeing any action with Tigres from 2011 to 2013, Espericueta started 2014 on loan at Villarreal B, a team with which he played seven games, only one as a starter.
The following campaign, he participated only 25 minutes, divided into two duels, and later returned to the Tigers with a football cycle, without a helm in his football career.
Antonio Pedroza
Antonio ‘Rooney’ Pedroza, with a Mexican father and an English mother, made his debut in 2007 with the disappearance of the Jaguares de Chiapas and remained in the team’s discipline until 2011, the year in which the Premier League knocked on his door at the age of 21.
In the 2011-12 campaign, Crystal Palace took advantage of the services of Pedroza Whitham, who saw only 150 minutes of action in four games and did not score. The following year, he returned to Mexican football with Monarcas Morelia.
Antonio Briseño
With a previous step through Atlas, Tigres, FC Juárez and Veracruz, the defender of the U-17 world champion with Mexico at the 2011 World Cup left Liga BBVA MX at the age of 23 to try his luck in Portuguese football with Feirense.
In his first season, jaliscience played 15 games, ten as a starter and collaborated with two annotations, while in the following season he won the title in 34 games and was present with two goals.
For the 2019-20 cycle, the defender, who has repeatedly been part of eleven ideals of the day in Portuguese football, heard the “song of the mermaids” and returned to Mexico to join Chivas, his current team.