Santiago Giménez makes his debut with Cruz Azul
Last night, Santiago Giménez officially made his debut with Cruz Azul. At minute 86, the 16-year-old forward came on as a substitute in the Copa MX match against Tigres.
Besides being Christian Giménez's son, the last great reference of La Maquina, the fact that he debuts at such a young age is very remarkable, especially in a club where there are few opportunities for homegrown players and where most of its promising talents have failed to consolidate.
For example, there are three players who were expected to achieve great things, but in the end, two of them couldn't even debut in the League. Yes, they played friendlies and Copa, but they never made the jump to the main competition.
Martín Galván:
The clearest case of how processes go to waste. At 15 years old (in 2008), the player made his debut with Cruz Azul in an Interliga and then in a Concachampions; at that time, coach Sergio Markarián did not hesitate to label him as a prodigy. However, Martín could never consolidate himself after the departure of the Uruguayan coach from the institution.
He suddenly became a subject of discussion more because of his undisciplined behavior in youth national teams than for his football progress. He was shut out by Enrique Meza, went on loan and although he later returned, he never got to debut. Currently, at 24 years old, he is wandering in the lower divisions, trying to start a career that promised a lot.
Francisco Flores:
World champion with the U-17 national team in the World Cup held in the country. Paco was the only member who belonged to Cruz Azul and immediately attracted attention. After the youth tournament, he was promoted to the first team under the command of Enrique Meza, had his debut in the Copa MX, and managed to get some minutes in the League. However, he lacked more opportunities and left the team.
He went to Chivas, then to Pachuca, where he also failed to get a chance in the Liga MX. After not playing for a semester, he was reactivated for the Liga de Ascenso; he currently plays for Coras.
Diego Martínez:
During the presentation of the Cruz Azul 2011 jersey, Guillermo Álvarez Cuevas, president of La Máquina, spoke about two great young prospects: Francisco Flores and Diego Martínez.
The first one was supported by his world championship, and the second one was accompanied by his victory in the Spanish reality show Futbol Cracks, where he met Zinedine Zidane and Enzo Francescoli.
After winning that award, he had the opportunity to train for a few weeks with Real Madrid Castilla, then he returned to Cruz Azul where he started to play with Cruz Azul Hidalgo, hoping for an opportunity in the top flight.
But for the young player's misfortune, he didn't have any more opportunities and had no choice but to leave the institution.