Mexican Players Abroad

Fans of the Bundesliga and Mexico will remember fondly two seasons ago when Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez signed with Bayer Leverkusen from Manchester United and took Germany by storm, scoring 26 goals in all competitions, 17 in the league.

Marco Fabian also arrived in Germany that season, transferring during the winter window from Chivas Guadalajara to Eintracht Frankfurt. Chicharito is no longer in the Bundesliga, but Fabian still is, and he scored against Chicharito's old club when Frankfurt met Leverkusen on Saturday.

A top of the table clash in the Primeira Liga between first place Benfica and second place Porto went a long way toward deciding the title on Sunday. Thanks to Hector Herrera’s 90th-minute strike at the Estadio da Luz, Porto dramatically leapfrogged Benfica in the table, going two points clear with four matches remaining. 

In the 70th minute of Sunday's match against Chelsea, trailing 1-0, West Ham manager David Moyes subbed on Chicharito Hernandez. In the 73rd minute, the Little Pea got free in the box and scored the equalizer.

CHICHARITO! A proper hammer blow! #CHEWHU pic.twitter.com/o1zk9CaFXS

Hirving Lozano's nickname Chucky invokes images of the creepy redheaded doll of horror film fame and after Saturday he’ll be haunting the nightmares of AZ Alkmaar keeper Marco Bizot.

Lozano, a Mexico international, used his speed and hustle to score the second goal in the midst of PSV Eindhoven scoring three goals in five minutes for a 3-2 win on Saturday in the Eredivisie. 

Lozano’s goal was his 15th of his debut season with PSV, pulling him to within one of league-leader Fran Sol. It came in the 76th minute.

There are times when football meets art. Now you may be thinking we are talking about Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but you are wrong. Arguably the most beautiful play you’ll see all year took place in Portugal’s Primeira Liga as Benfica hosted Vitoria SC on Saturday.

The author of the formidable work of art was none less than Mexican international Raúl Jiménez, a former Club América star. Benfica were leading 1-0 into the 76th minute, and then lightning struck.

Giovani dos Santos will not be excited to learn that his fellow Major League Soccer players think he's the most overrated player in the league.

In an anonymous survey conducted by ESPN, 11 percent of MLS players surveyed said they thought the LA Galaxy forward was the most overrated player in the league. Also voted to be overrated were Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Gyasi Zardes, Paul Arriola, Benny Feilhaber and Tim Howard. Discerning readers will notice that those are, with the exception of dos Santos, who plays for Mexico, all United States internationals. 

Mexico's stars abroad are shining bright after an extraordinary week in European leagues.

With four goals, two assists and one title won over the weekend, Mexican fans can dream big going into the international break.

And so we thought it was worth compiling the best images and moments for Mexican players in Europe.

To begin with, Hirving "Chucky" Lozano scored once again in the Eredivisie. Chucky scored his 13th league goal for PSV in their 3-0 victory against Venio. 

Lozano is tied in second place behind Fran Sol in the Eredivisie's top scorer table.

Miguel Layún scored his first goal for Sevilla in his team's defeat against Leganés.

Questioned about his performances in recent weeks, Layún is finally showing signs of adaptation and getting back in form.

The Mexican international arrived in Sevilla a few months ago after he was transferred from Porto.

In Portugal, Layún had some excellent moments. For instance, he became one of Europe's players with most assists in 2016.

With 102 appearances, 18 goals and as a veteran of two World Cups, history is on Giovani dos Santos’ side. However, his play on the field over the last year and a half makes his inclusion in Mexico’s 2018 World Cup squad, by Juan Carlos Osorio’s own stated standards, a real doubt.

When Dos Santos arrived in MLS in 2016, his initial return of 14 goals, 12 assists and a place in the MLS Best XI seemed to fully justify a Designated Player salary of $5.5 million per year. 

Mexico international Hector Moreno has made just two league appearances for Real Sociedad since moving there from Roma in the January transfer window, but the center back is already making a difference. Moreno netted Real Sociedad's opener against Alaves off a corner kick in the sixth minute Sunday. Real Sociedad would score again in the 11th minute and go on to win 2-1.