The fall of Giovani dos Santos

Giovani Dos Santos, during a match with América in February 2020.Jam Media / Getty Images

Mexico entrusted all its chips to an exceptional generation of footballers.

A group of Mexican teenagers was consecrated in the World Cup for under 17s in 2005. It was something never seen before for a country that had not made a splash in football.

Among the players was Giovani Dos Santos (Mexico City, 32 years old), one of the promising youngsters that Barcelona made up.

His intermittent talent and injuries have marginalized him to the degree that they have cut him from America, where he spent more time in the infirmary than on the court.

Giovani Dos Santos had excited Frank Rijkaard, the then Barcelona coach in 2007. The player had earned a good reputation in the youth team and the fact of having won the Youth World Cup gave him points to make his debut in the First Division. He did it sheltered by Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Deco and his compatriot, Rafael Márquez.

wanted more minutes, he was impatient with the few he received and his surroundings forced him to leave. Tottenham, in the process of rebuilding, signed him in 2008. The photograph, which is still circulating on social networks, showed him with another young recruit: Luka Modric, who would end up at Real Madrid and with a Ballon d'Or in 2018.

A succession of indiscipline led Dos Santos to be punished by Tottenham. London's nightlife devoured the Mexican who ended up relegated to Ipswich from a lower division. His performance did not end up convincing Tottenham who yielded him to Galatasaray, Racing de Santander and Mallorca. It was in Spanish football where he was able to show his skills as a midfielder and a lover of dribbling. Villarreal gave him a vote of confidence in 2013 and signed him for four years. Stability had come for a

who, in his wake, played in the Europa League and nailed a goal from a free kick to Real Madrid at the Bernabéu. He played with his brother, Jonathan, in the

. It was the great moment for the Mexican 10.

Giovani Dos Santos during a Barcelona friendly in Japan in 2007.Koji Watanabe / Getty Images

In 2015, a millionaire offer from the LA Galaxy of the United States seduced the Mexican, who earned more than six million dollars a year.

Giovani dos Santos's performance took a nosedive.

He was hired for the club to win the League, but everything was left to an intention.

best year

was 2016 when he scored 15 goals.

The injuries sidelined the Mexican's performance for more than 70 days, according to Transfermarkt figures.

The club relegated him to hours of the start of the season in 2019 to release the place of franchise player.

Dos Santos ended up in America as a free footballer and was presented as the great signing. His father, Zizinho, played for the American team and was the family's favorite team. It seemed to be the opportunity for the redemption of the footballer, but little happened. In his first season he was a substitute and the team lost the Liga MX final against Monterrey at home. When he was beginning to gain flight, he suffered a severe cut on his leg in a collision with soccer player Antonio Briseño. In the last tournament played, under the command of Santiago Solari, he played in seven of 17 games and in none of them could he finish the 90 minutes. In his two years in America he only collected four goals.

The best Giovani Dos Santos, however, has been with the Mexican team.

With El Tri he has won an Olympic medal, the greatest achievement of his country in international tournaments and gave a great World Cup in Brazil 2014 in which he pushed the Netherlands to the limit in the round of 16.

His performance has alienated him from the national team and has now left him stuck in the swamp by running out of a team.

Subscribe here

to the

of EL PAÍS México and receive all the informative keys of the current situation of this country