Santiago Giménez: Mexico’s Most Disrespected Star Player
The penultimate week of the new Champions League format had a lot of thrilling action. Historic comebacks occurred, one in Lisbon, where Barcelona, down 2-4 to Benfica, scored three goals past the 77th minute to win the game and become one of two teams to qualify for the top eight. Real Madrid's star forward trio each scored in a 5-1 thrashing of RB Salzburg. However, the most impressive feat of the week belongs to Feyenoord, who won 3-0 at home against the German giants Bayern Munich. The star man was Mexican striker Santiago Giménez, who scored a brace in the first half. He became only the fourth non-European player to score a first-half brace against Bayern, following the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Raphinha. Giménez, week after week, performs for his club in the Netherlands but has always faced criticism because of his play on the Mexican national team. Due to this, he has become Mexico's most disrespected player.
Beginnings in Cruz Azul
Giménez's playing career started in the youth camps of Mexico City side Cruz Azul. Despite being born in Buenos Aires, Giménez's father, Christian “Chaco” Giménez, spent most of his playing career playing for Cruz Azul, hence why Santi grew up in their youth camps. Playing for the Mexican side, Giménez garnished the nickname “Bebote,” referring to him being the baby of Chaco. In his time he scored 21 goals and had 11 assists in 105 matches, making his debut at age 15 in a friendly against Pumas, where he was able to step on the field with his father. Giménez was a key factor in breaking Cruz Azul's 23-year-long Liga MX title drought, winning the 2021 Clausura. Giménez's time ended in Mexico with him scoring five goals in his last five matches during the 2022 Apertura. What was next for him was a six million euro move to the Dutch club Feyenoord.
Welcome to Feyenoord
Giménez's time in Feyenoord up to this point has been filled with goals and even more goals. With 103 matches, 62 goals, and 14 assists, Giménez has shown to be a dominant striker in the Netherlands. In his first campaign with the club, Feyenoord would go on to win the Eredivisie. Giménez became the club's top goal scorer in the league and the Europa League in his first season, scoring 15 and five goals, respectively. He followed his debut season, scoring 23 goals and providing six assists in the league. This year, Giménez would make his Champions League debut, scoring two goals in four matches. Now, to this point, Giménez would generate interest from bigger clubs across Europe but would stay committed to Feyenoord for one more season. An early season injury this year would sideline Giménez for a couple of months, but he has managed to score seven league goals in 11 matches so far. Most impressively this season, Gimenez has scored four goals in four Champions League matches, scoring against the likes of Manchester City and Bayern Munich. With high-level performances this year in the Champions League, Italian side AC Milan have looked to become suitors for Giménez. Being a kid from the youth camps of Cruz Azul all the way to potentially joining a historic club like AC Milan, Giménez has done what few Mexican players have been able to accomplish. Nevertheless, even with his stellar club career to this point, Giménez, for some reason, still has one group of people to impress.
Why the Disrespect?
There are a few reasons as to why some Mexican fans are still critical of Giménez. For starters, Giménez was not born in Mexico. Being born in Buenos Aires, Giménez has to deal with the backlash of being born in Argentina. Mexico's rivalry with Argentina goes beyond sports, so with Giménez's country of birth being Argentina, lots of fans still criticize him for it. The other reason is his performance with the national team. In 32 matches, Giménez has only managed to score four goals, most notably his game-winner off the bench against Panama in the Gold Cup Final. Giménez, who has an elite ability to score, has struggled to get his footing with the national team rather than his club Feyenoord. He was missing simple chances and penalties he would normally score for his club. Context does go far, as Giménez's play style relies on being supported by his team; however, Mexico does not have the same level of talent as Feyenoord. With all being said, Santiago Giménez is a star talent being made in Europe. Choosing to play for Mexico instead of Argentina, he could have been a part of winning the Copa America with Argentina. Instead, Gimenez stayed true to what he believed in, and that’s being a Mexican. In no time, Giménez will show why he does not deserve to be Mexico's most disrespected player.
