Giovani dos Santos is one of the most talented Mexican players of this century. I mean, nobody can doubt his skills as a baller and his iconic moments playing for El Tri, but at the same time, we all can agree on how exasperating and inconsistent his club resumé has been, which includes Barcelona, Tottenham, Villarreal, LA Galaxy and Ipswich Town, among others.
Proof of this erratic and unpredictable career is the fact most people probably don't know where he is playing right now or if he is playing at all.
Is Giovani dos Santos still playing?
The question cannot be answered with a yes or a no. At 32 years old, Gio hasn't retired from soccer, but currently, he has no club. To be precise, he hasn't played an official game since April of 2021, a long year ago.
Dos Santos' last team was Club América in Liga MX, where he scored just four goals in two seasons. His first months in the squad were not bad at all, but after a gruesome injury — courtesy of Chivas' Antonio Briseño — Gio started to lose ground, and eventually, the club decided to release him in June last year.
Life outside the field was not graceful either. In July of 2021, Gio also lost his father.
After that, Dos Santos was out of the map for several months until his name returned to the headlines for el Día de los Inocentes, the Hispanic-world equivalent to April Fool's Day, on Dec. 28, when Tlaxcala FC from Liga de Expansion joked about signing in him.
*¡Feliz Día de los Inocentes!
Es broma, pero si quieres no es broma... llámanos. pic.twitter.com/CRFFF3pP7C— Tlaxcala F.C. (@Coyotes_Oficial) December 28, 2021
A ray of light for his career came during March/April 2022 when he started training with MLS club Inter Miami. However, after a couple of weeks, his efforts didn't convince the club.
Once rejected, Dos Santos returned to Mexico, and just a few days ago he was spotted training along with the América's U-20 squad. Those who follow the news around the 13-time Mexican champion don't think he is going to stay in Coapa and say he is only keeping in shape, hoping for a contract during the next transfer window.
Giovani Dos Santos está entrenando con la Sub 20 para mantener el ritmo futbolístico mientras encuentra un club para continuar con su carrera pic.twitter.com/JzZdjz4dot
— Julio ‘Profe’ Ibañez (@julioiba) April 28, 2022
We will see.