Pablo Barrera, who played in Europe with teams like West Ham from the Premier League and Zaragoza from La Liga, commented in an interview for ESPN that the decision to return to Mexican soccer after his time in the old continent was something that marked his career, as he felt that it was somewhat rushed to return with Cruz Azul in the Apertura 2012.
"The issue of Europe is one of those things that I maybe would have forced myself to stay there more. I had five years left on my contract, three of which remained, and I think I hurried in returning to Mexican soccer, but I mean it's something I would have done to see what would happen."
Barrera moved to West Ham after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and the project of La Máquina, led by Memo Vázquez, made him lean towards continuing his career in the Liga MX.
"I had just talked to Memo when he was at Cruz Azul. At first, the idea was not to return. In the end, two days before my flight, he convinced me of everything they were doing in La Máquina, especially because of the whole history of being able to win a title after a long time. I don't understand what Cruz Azul lacks to be champion. I was there for that final that I didn't understand why we lost that match, I still watch it and don't understand it. I had a beautiful time, I managed to win the Copa MX, Concachampions, but I'm still at peace with the things we did."
Barrera will experience his first tournament as a player for Atlético de San Luis, a team that has caused a lot of talk thanks to the signings they have made for the upcoming Guard1anes 2020, including Mauro Quiroga.
"Well, in attack we have a lot of fast players, in the area we have two beasts, Quiroga and Nico. They are very good in aerial duels and we have to take advantage of that. We also have to defend well. With the players who stayed and those who arrived, I feel that the squad was built well, we can achieve important things. We have to take it step by step to earn the respect of our opponents, we have to prove it on the field. We have a competitive team that can do important things in the next tournament."