Day of the Dead special: the 7 deadest signings in Liga MX history
To mark the Day of the Dead, we open Mexican football's graveyard to remember seven big-name international signings who cost a fortune and ended up haunting Liga MX without glory.
November 2 isn't only for remembering the faithful departed; it's also a chance to open the crypt on the signings who arrived in Mexican football with great fanfare and ended up as true flops. Players with World Cup credentials or European pedigree who earned fortunes only to wander Mexico's pitches like lost souls.
1. Bebeto · Toros Neza (1999)
First place on the altar goes to Bebeto, who landed at Toros Neza in 1999 with the 1994 World Cup crown under his arm. The Brazilian lasted just eight matches, scored twice, made no real difference, and his stint is remembered for the stories of insecurity he lived through in the city.
2. Allan Saint-Maximin · América (2025)
At Coapa, the freshest coffin belongs to Allan Saint-Maximin, the blockbuster signing of the 2025 Apertura who arrived as a Premier League star with millions on the table. Despite a promising debut, the French forward faded amid fitness problems, off-field controversies and a modest return of three goals in 15 games, terminating his contract within months to join Lens in France.
3. Carlos Lizarazo · Cruz Azul (2015)
Cruz Azul has no shortage of ghosts, but none like Carlos Lizarazo in 2015. The Colombian midfielder was a signing from beyond the grave in the most literal sense: he spent the whole tournament on treatment tables and in medical sessions and left La Noria having played exactly zero minutes in Liga MX.
4. Maranhão · Cruz Azul (2012)
La Máquina also has Maranhão on its altar, a Brazilian winger brought in from Bahia in 2012. In Mexico he became unintentional comedy: he would burst past defenders at full speed only to cross the ball into the stands, and he left without scoring a single league goal; his only goal for Cruz Azul came in the Copa Libertadores.
5. Ikechukwu Uche · Tigres (2015)
Tigres broke the market in 2015 by signing André-Pierre Gignac and, that same summer, Nigerian striker Ikechukwu Uche from Spain's LaLiga. While the Frenchman became an all-time legend, Uche was never fully fit and left the club without playing a single league minute.
6. Bernd Schuster · Pumas (1997)
Pumas can't escape the graveyard either, thanks to Bernd Schuster's strange adventure in 1997. The legendary German midfielder arrived at the Pedregal with Real Madrid and Barcelona on his CV, but after a handful of forgettable games he decided to break his contract, citing an unusual toothache.
7. Roque Santa Cruz · Cruz Azul (2015)
Closing the list is Roque Santa Cruz, Cruz Azul's blockbuster signing of 2015, who arrived as the league's highest-paid player after shining at Bayern Munich and Málaga. Muscle injuries never left him alone, he managed only four goals, and six months later he returned to Spain, leaving Cruz Azul fans empty-handed.
Sources: TUDN: Recuento de leyendas que decepcionaron tras su llegada a la Liga MX · Fox Sports: Lens anunció el fichaje de Allan Saint-Maximin, a menos de 48 horas de dejar al América · TV Azteca: Carlos Lizarazo, el refuerzo de Cruz Azul que no jugó ni un minuto · ESPN: La historia de Maranhão en Cruz Azul · ESPN: Los refuerzos fallidos de Cruz Azul
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