Alexis Vega recently revealed that he had turned down an offer to play in Europe over an issue with the length of the contract that he was being offered. Essentially what we can gather from the way that he told the story was that he was offered a similar deal to the one that Cesar Montes had with Espanyol, and Memo Ochoa signed with Salernitana. That can also provide clues about the type of club that made him the offer.
What Alexis said is that he was being offered a 6-month contract with a club. If things went well in the last months of the season then he could be in line to resign with the team to a longer deal. If things didn’t work out he would be back in Mexico by the summer. That’s exactly the situation that both Memo Ochoa, and Cesar Montes find themselves in. Why didn’t Alexis Vega take the deal? He was pretty blunt about it saying that he didn’t want to go to Europe just to fulfill his dream only to be back in Mexico a few months after. Was this a good decision?
The Financial Gamble May Have Been Too Great For Alexis
As we mentioned Alexis literally said that he wasn’t open to a 6-month contract because of the pressure that he would be put under to perform. That’s by all accounts true, but the pressure on the field might not be the only thing that made him think twice about taking this offer. Alexis Vega is making 2.5 million dollars a year at Chivas. Taking this 6 month offer would probably mean that he’s forgoing that salary to take less money in a situation which he said himself he wasn’t entirely comfortable with. Ultimately the gamble didn’t make sense for him.
A lot of people are going to try and spin this story into the typical Mexican player with a lack of desire to be great or what not. At times though you have to take the passion of the game away from these types of situations. Just looking at things numbers wise, this is a gamble that virtually no one would take in their own careers financially. Even if your dream job was potentially at the end of the other end of the rainbow. That brings us to the next question though.
Will He Ever Get A Chance To Play In Europe?
The fact that the World Cup was played in December is really not helping transfers at all. What we’re seeing is middle of the pack teams scrambling to sign players to try and help them save their seasons. Again we can go back to the Montes and Ochoa examples as exhibit A and B. Someone in Vega’s position has way too much to lose to be able to take the gamble. We’re certain Vega is not the only player in the world that was thrown into a similar predicament.
Vega is in a situation though where going back to Chivas is a bit like going back into a cave. Simply put, Liga MX doesn’t provide the type of exposure that’s typically ideal for European clubs to scout you. Now, he’s got an ace up his sleeve in the form of Fernando Hierro. If he performs well he could seek help from Hierro to find a spot in a European club. If that all plays out he’d still have to contend with the money dilemma. Many Mexican players end up staying in Liga MX because it’s a better financial decision for them and their families. That’s a valid point, and we in the media shouldn’t criticize them for it!
