The flag of Mexico shines in one of the cathedrals of world football. Wrapped in it, the Tlalnepantla native defender, Edson Álvarez, walked to the midfield of the Johan Cruyff Arena to receive the league title from the Netherlands this May 2, with three days remaining to conclude the Eredivisie 2020- twenty-one.
For Ajax it is already a custom to receive this trophy, as it is number 35 and thus maintains its supremacy in its league (its closest pursuer, PSV, has 24).
However, for the eagles of America it means his first league title in Europe and the first for a Mexican playing in the mythical club of Cruyff, Van Basten and company.
With this championship, Álvarez responds to the investment that Ajax made for him in the summer of 2019, when he paid 15 million euros to America. That amount made him the most expensive signing of a Mexican by a European club in Liga MX history.
The 15 million remain at their current price, making Edson the second most expensive footballer in Ajax’s champion squad, surpassed only by Dutch striker Quincy Promes, worth 15.7 million, according to Transfermarkt.
Its value is not only monetary, but also on the court. The Mexican is the sixth with the most games played with Ajax in all competitions during the 2020-21 season, with 38, as are the Argentine Lisandro Martínez and the Dutch Perr Schuurs. With that amount, he beats big-name players like Daley Blind, André Onana and David Neres.
Edson has also contributed two goals in the Eredivisie, with Martinez and Devyne Rensch being the only defenders of the team with that quota; their participation in goal plays amounts to 4%.
Álvarez has played 54% of possible minutes in the Dutch league in 23 out of 31 possible games; Although he started the season as a starter, he lived a period as a substitute between November and December, but regained his position as of January 17. Since then, he has been a starter in 15 games for three months.
Located in the middle of containment, the so-called ‘Machín’ has played 1,610 minutes, has won 13.9 direct duels and maintains a passing precision of 89%, according to the Statiskicks analysis; Thus, it has become the favorite shield for coach Erik Ten Hag, a position that Frenkie De Jong left vacant when he emigrated to Barcelona.
With this achievement, Edson Álvarez became the fifth Mexican to win the league title in the Netherlands, a legacy that began in the 2006-07 season with Carlos Salcido at PSV Eindhoven, a team where Andrés Guardado and Hirving Lozano were also champions. and Héctor Moreno, although the latter also lifted the trophy with the AZ Alkmaar jersey.
One more Mexican was champion in that country: Francisco Javier ‘Maza’ Rodríguez, who lifted the Super Cup title in 2008 also with the PSV farmers.
Of the six winning national players in the Netherlands, four are defensive players. The three before Edson made the leap to other European leagues after their titles with PSV: Salcido was signed by Fulham of England, Moreno by Espanyol of Barcelona and ‘Maza’ Rodríguez by Stuttgart of Germany. Without being defenders, ‘Chucky’ Lozano and ‘Tecatito’ Corona also used the Eredivisie platform to jump to Napoli in Italy and Porto in Portugal.
It should be noted that Álvarez is 23 years old (he will be 24 in October) and already has seven titles in his record: a league, a cup and a champion of champions with America, plus a league, a cup and a super cup with Ajax, as well as a Gold Cup with the Mexican national team in 2019. This resume, coupled with his performance in the 2020-21 season, would enhance his economic value for the next transfer market in summer.
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