Mexicans abroad: Erick Gutierrez starts for PSV, Santiago Gimenez marks Eredivisie debut

Mexican national team players have seen a busy summer.

El Tri staple Erick Gutierrez secured his future with PSV Eindhoven, signing a contract extension through 2025 while competing in Champions League playoff matches. Santiago Gimenez and Jorge Sanchez made their move abroad, becoming the latest Mexicans to feature in the Eredivisie as LA Galaxy player Julian Araujo aspires to be the next figure in Europe.

Here's everything on Mexican players abroad...

1. Santiago Gimenez debuts with Feyenoord

Santiago Gimenez finally debuted for Dutch team Feyenoord on Saturday, coming off the bench in the match against Heerenveen. The player replaced Danilo in the 78th minute, helping his side reach a 0-0 draw.

He joined earlier this month, making the move from Liga MX team Cruz Azul. He signed a four-year contract, to become the latest Mexican to play in the Eredivisie.

"It’s a dream for me to play for such a big club," Gimenez told Feyenoord’s official website. "I deliberately chose this step and am grateful to everyone for the warm welcome. I believe that together we can work towards something very beautiful and experience great successes."

2. Erick Gutierrez thrives with PSV Eindhoven

Erick Gutierrez is on the rise with PSV Eindhoven. The Mexican player just signed a contract extension, keeping him at the club through 2025. He initially joined the Eredivisie team in 2018, working through injuries and a competitive roster to earn his place in the starting line up. 

Gutierrez now stands as an integral part of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side, featuring in both regular season and Champions League playoff matches. The midfielder scored the equalizer in the second leg match against Monaco that propelled PSV to overtime and eventual victory. 

Given his monumental performance, Guti earned his start against Rangers before inspiring his side to a 2-2 draw. It all comes down to PSV next Wednesday when hosting the Scottish side in the fight for a Champions League spot.

3. Jorge Sanchez makes his move

Defender Jorge Sanchez has officially signed for Ajax Amsterdam, joining the Eredivisie side on a four year contract.  

Club America confirmed the imminent transfer on August 7, before the player traveled abroad for medicals and paperwork. He departs the Liga MX side after four years, where he won the league title in 2018 and lifted the Campeon de Campeones trophy in 2019.

"[I'm] motivated because going to Europe is not so easy. I'm thinking about my future and about the Mexican national team,” Sanchez said before going to Ajax. 

"There’s a lot of happiness, a lot of motivation, but a lot of responsibility too, going to Ajax is a unique opportunity, a golden opportunity to do things well, yes or yes, to reach the World Cup at the top and win a place."

4. Julian Araujo confirms desire for European football

With transfer rumors on the rise, LA Galaxy’s Julian Araujo confirmed his desire to move abroad.

The defender has quickly proven himself as one of the brightest young talents of Major League Soccer, becoming an integral part of LA Galaxy and earning appearances with the Mexican national team.

FC Porto has since come forward as the frontrunner to sign the player, eyeing the LA Galaxy defender as a possible reinforcement for the 2022/2023 season. As talks progress between his team and the Portuguese side, Araujo reaffirmed the possibility of the imminent move. 

“I definitely want to go to Europe. It’s my dream. My goal is to go to Europe. I want to reach my highest potential and I feel like going to Europe is going to help me do that,” he said exclusively to 90min. 

“I’m someone that wants to learn everyday, someone that takes advice from everybody, that wants to learn. I know, like I said, to reach my highest potential I need to go play in the best, the top leagues.”

5. Diego Lainez debut with SC Braga

After a frustrating stint with Real Betis, Diego Lainez is back on the pitch. The player came off the bench to replace Iuri Medeiros in the 73rd minute of the match against FC Famalicao, helping his side to the 3-0 victory. 

As the World Cup approaches, Lainez continues to fight for a place on Gerardo Martino’s 26-player roster.