Ismael Valadez: "Scoring Goals is the Key"

For Ismael Valadez, the path is clear: if he doesn't want to hear boos again at the Estadio Jalisco, his only option is to score goals. The Leones Negros striker acknowledged the recent criticism from the fans but stated that he will seek to replace them with applause and good collective results.

"I think we worked on the aspects we were missing this week. To be honest, I'm a very calm player in that regard and I try not to get desperate. I focus on the collective, so scoring a goal (against Cimarrones) makes me happy because it starts adding to my personal tally," Valadez said.

"The truth is that people buy a ticket and can judge everyone, but I know that by scoring goals I will always have their affection. I'm glad to be able to continue scoring goals for the club, I already have 12 and I want more. Personally, I want to break my records from previous tournaments. I'm not surprised by the jeers, sometimes people are not happy, but if I want them to applaud me, I have to work," he shared.

Ismael Valadez was met with boos when he left the field at the Estadio Jalisco during the game against the Bravos de Juárez. Now, in the last match against the Cimarrones de Sonora, the Lions' striker managed to score his first goal of the season and hopes to repeat the feat next Sunday against the Loros de Colima.

Currently, the University of Guadalajara sits in ninth place in the standings with two wins and two losses. Although they are not in playoff position, Ismael Valadez points out that the numbers do not do justice to the good performances he and his teammates have had.

"What we're looking for is to have a connection with our fans, and we can only achieve that with good performances. We want them to come to the stadium and support us, to make the games tougher for the visiting teams. We have to continue on that path because we haven't fallen short when playing away, we have delivered very good games, and unfortunately, we haven't been able to score the goals," he concluded.

Last season, Ismael Valadez was Joel Sánchez's leading scorer, scoring 10 goals in the league and one more in the Copa MX. Now, the striker will seek to improve his personal records to get Leones into the playoffs.

Valadez has scored 12 goals for Leones.