Héctor Herrera has his days numbered in Mexico National Team; a player from Brazil will replace him

Since Héctor Herrera debuted with CF Pachuca in 2011, he displayed a talent and abilities that pointed towards a future in Europe. He was part of a golden generation that Los Tuzos had, along Jürgen Damm, Rodolfo Pizarro, Erick Gutierrez and Hirving Lozano.

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He debuted with Mexico National Team in 2012 and became a regular given his solidity in the midfield and the way he always found an opening to keep the play going, reasons that also made him play in one of the best soccer leagues in the world.

But now, Herrera barely plays, as Diego “Cholo” Simeone has completely erased him from Atlético Madrid, as he’s started just 3 games in La Liga for the current season. Although that hasn’t stopped Gerardo “Tata” Martino from calling him every time Mexico National Team is facing a match window.

At least until now, as reports of a young promising player that currently is part of Campeonato Brasileiro de Futebol side Red Bull Bragantino started to arise. Alejandro Viniegra is gathering attention and could be replacing Herrera in no time.

Who is Alejandro Viniegra?

The 20-year-old striker was born in Ribeirão Preto in 2002. He holds both Mexican and Brazilian citizenships as his mother is Mexican, which is why he could play for El Tri if he wanted to. Viniegra started his career in Cruzeiro Academy teams, where he debuted in 2018 and was promoted to the senior squad in 2020.

For the 2021 season, Viniegra decided to continue his career in USL Championship, as he joined North Texas Soccer Club, where he played for a season before returning to Brazil, this time with Red Bull Bragantino, a club that could open the door for his arrival in Europe, either with RB Salzburg or RB Leipzig.

Although Alejandro Viniegra plays on a different position than Héctor Herrera, he could replace him in “Tata” Martino’s roster given the lack of solid strikers El Tri has, as only Raúl Jiménez has fulfilled his duty. Viniegra started his process in Brazil Academy teams, but in recent years, he decided to play for Mexico National Team, as he’s now part of El Tri U-20 squad.

What happened to Héctor Herrera?

When he won the Gold Medan in the London Olympics, in 2012, he became one of the most coveted Mexican players, which earned him the chance of playing in Europe the next year, when he joined Primeira Liga side FC Porto.

Herrera was labeled as a leader inside and outside the pitch, something that earned him becoming Porto's captain on his last few seasons before arriving in Atlético Madrid as a free agent in 2019, where he started to see his shape and playing time diminished.

Since arriving in Atlético Madrid, Herrera has played a total of 69 games, in which he has scored just one goal and assisted for times, numbers far from what he achieved in FC Porto, where he scored 35 goals and the same number of assistances in 245 games.

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