Erik Lira has emerged as a standout player in Mexican soccer over the past year. The midfielder’s impressive performances for Cruz Azul have earned him widespread recognition. Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre has consistently called him up to the national team, giving him significant playing time for El Tri with just a year to go before the 2026 World Cup.
Key to Cruz Azul’s continental success
A product of Pumas’ youth academy, Lira played a crucial role in Cruz Azul’s victory in the recent CONCACAF Champions Cup. At international level, meanwhile, he was on the scoresheet for the Mexicans in a friendly against Brazilian club team Internacional earlier this year. Lira has expressed his ambition to play in European soccer at some point in his career.
In recent years, several Mexican players have made the move to the Eredivisie, the top flight of Dutch league soccer. They include: Joaquín del Olmo, Carlos Salcido, Francisco Javier ‘Maza’ Rodríguez, Jesús ‘Tecatito’ Corona, Andrés Guardado, Héctor Moreno, Hirving Lozano, Erick Gutiérrez, Uriel Antuna, Santiago Giménez and Stephano Carrillo. Now, AZ Alkmaar is eyeing a summer swoop for Lira.
“My dream is to go to Europe”
After Cruz Azul’s triumph in the CONCACAF Champions Cup final at the start of June, Lira said: “We’ll see. My dream is to go to Europe. I want to achieve it, but none of this would be possible without Cruz Azul.”
Although he is still under contract with the club, the 25-year-old might soon have the opportunity to move to the old continent. AZ Alkmaar finished fifth in the Dutch league last season and has won the national championship twice. Lira has shown enough quality to be considered one of the most capable players in the Liga MX over the past year.
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