The Mexican footballer who represents Hong Kong

Football is a global phenomenon that is present everywhere in the world without much explanation; more than a sport, it becomes a kind of language, a means of understanding. A similar experience has been lived by a young Mexican, who without really knowing the nation that issued his passport, represents the Mexican colors in distant Hong Kong, with a ball at his feet. This is the case of Vasudeva Nuñez, a citizen of the world, born on the Chinese peninsula, with an English father and a mother from the former Mexico City. Today, at 22 years old, he earns a living in the Premier League of his place of origin.

Vasudeva plays for Guangzhou R&F, a team in the top league of Hong Kong, which is a kind of training affiliate of the Chinese Super League, where young prospects are polished. Nuñez is one of them. This Mexican heritage player's presence is constant with his team. Just this weekend, he played the full 90 minutes in the defeat against Kitchee, the leader of the competition, and also received a yellow card. He is a strong central defender and aerial play is one of his strengths, thanks to his one meter and ninety centimeters in height. "I always knew I wanted to be a footballer. I want to play around the world, experience different levels and styles," he said just a few months ago to Embajadores Aztecas.

In fact, it has been a relevant start for Vasudeva with Guangzhou R&F. So far, in the six matches that his team has played, he has made five appearances, all as a starter and completing every match he started in. This is his best start to the league, although the results have not precisely accompanied his squad, which is currently in sixth place in the overall standings (out of 10 clubs), with nine points, far from the top. In fact, this is the defender's first season with Los Leones, the team he joined in the summer transfer market.

Talking about Nuñez means talking about a footballer who, despite his youth, has put down roots in Asian football, with his sights set on achieving more goals: "It is very difficult to compare the level here with other countries. Football is very physical. Hong Kong teams have very big and strong players to win duels. Very few teams play tiki-taka," he revealed in the aforementioned conversation. "The league seeks to develop talent and you face players of all nationalities and characteristics, which shapes you."

He is no improviser. His journey in the HK Premier League began in the 2015-16 season, providing his services to Metro Gallery, where, although he did not have much activity, the minutes on the field helped him earn a place in a new squad, which immediately paid attention to his qualities. Last year, he played for Dreams SC before making a jump to a more renowned team like Guangzhou, which, it should be clarified, is the namesake of the team that plays in the Chinese Super League. Vas Núñez plays with a local passport, like any other Asian player in this kind of grassroots football, although he would like to experience playing in his mother's nation: "I have always been interested in playing in Mexico."

And when it comes to the country he also represents, Núñez Bravo is more extensive in his explanations: "I don't know much about Mexican culture, only what my mom has taught me. I think people there are very warm, oriented towards family, and hardworking individuals." Although he is unaware of the current situation in the Liga MX, he keeps up with the national team, despite the distance and the time difference. Vas, like many other fellow countrymen, has found his place in the world thanks to the passion he inherited from his parents for a sport that knows no borders.

Like him, in different parts of the globe and at different levels, there are other Mexicans practicing this discipline. To name a few, Benjamin Mora has built a long career as a manager in Malaysia, where he now coaches in the First Division with Johor Darul Takzim; he is followed by Jorge Kuriyama, goalkeeper coach for the Philippines national team, and Eusebio Martinez, assistant coach for Johor Darul's second division team. On the field, an old acquaintance of Mexican football, Edgar Pacheco, is playing in the top category of Bahrain, with Ermis Aradippou, and Alejandro Velasco is doing the same with CPM Macau in Macao.