Real Oviedo and Sporting de Gijón begin the 2026-27 Segunda División season without any Mexican players in their squads. This fact was highlighted by the outlet Record MX this week, ending a recent period where both Asturian clubs featured Mexican talent promoted by their respective Mexican ownership groups.
Real Oviedo, owned by Grupo Pachuca, and Sporting de Gijón, controlled by Grupo Orlegi, had attempted to establish a football bridge between Mexico and Europe. However, at the start of the current campaign, that connection is interrupted. The carbayón team currently occupies fourteenth place in the standings, with 4 points after three matchdays, resulting from one win, one draw, and one loss. Their recent form is WLD, with a record of one goal scored and one conceded.
Which Mexican players passed through both clubs?
In recent years, Real Oviedo incorporated two young Mexicans from Grupo Pachuca. Daniel Aceves arrived in 2022 from Pachuca itself and played 10 matches before returning to his country. Marcelo Flores, then a promising 18-year-old midfielder, also joined in 2022 from Arsenal's academy but failed to establish himself in the first team.
For its part, Sporting de Gijón signed three Mexican footballers. The most notable was Jordan Carrillo, who arrived in 2022 from Santos Laguna. Carrillo participated in 22 Segunda División matches, starting six of them, before returning to Mexico. Esteban Lozano joined in 2023 from Club América, although his involvement was mainly with the reserve team, without achieving regular appearances with the first team.
How is Real Oviedo positioned at the start of the season?
The Oviedo team faces the start of the league with irregular performance. With 4 points to their name, they sit 3 points behind the leader, Granada CF. Their next commitment is a home match against Burgos, a team in twelfth place, on September 6th. Fans can follow the schedule evolution on our fixtures page.
The squad seeks defensive stability, having conceded only one goal, but also needs to improve its offensive capacity after scoring another. The team must find greater balance to climb positions in the standings.
What does the absence of Mexican talent mean?
The lack of Mexican players this season marks a change in strategy or circumstances for both clubs. The acquisition of these players represented a potential pathway for young Mexican prospects to make the leap to European football. Their departure, whether due to lack of adaptation, performance, or club decisions, has left a void in that line of work.
Now, both Real Oviedo and Sporting de Gijón trust in their respective sporting projects without the presence of that specific element. The focus is on collective performance and the players who currently make up the squad.
Real Oviedo's next challenge is the match against Burgos at the Estadio Carlos Tartiere, a key game to try to add points again and improve their table position.
