The match against León for Gameday 1 of the AP23 held a very special significance and helped to reinforce Chivas' identity, not only for having started the season on the right foot, but also for the response obtained from the Cantera Rojiblanca.
Ten of the 16 players who played against the Emeralds are products of the Fuerzas Básicas del Rebaño Sagrado and specifically three of them made their debut in Liga MX: Jesús Brígido, Yael Padilla and Raúl Martínez.
This is a clear sign of part of the overall mission of the sports project headed by Fernando Hierro, in addition to Veljko Paunovic's evident confidence in the young players who have been pushing hard in the youth categories.
Who are these 3 Guadalajara youth players? Here we will present you with some interesting facts about their “journey” within the Cantera Rojiblanca:
Juan Jesús Brígido Chen
- He was born in Guadalajara and joined the Cantera Rojiblanca at the age of 15.
- His training process in the Rebaño spans from U-15 to Tapatío.
- He was twice champion with the U-20 team and achieved the CL23 double Crown with the Tapatío in the Expansion League.
- His international experience includes competitions in Denmark, Czech Republic, Italy, Chile and the United States.
- He was an important piece in the titles obtained by Tapatío in the AP23, scoring 1 goal in the Semifinals vs. Atlante and 2 more in the Grand Final against Morelia.
- He did the preseason with the First Team for the Apertura 2023.
- He was the first element of the #CanteraRojiblanca to make his debut with Chivas in Liga MX under Veljko Paunovic.
- He came on at 59' for Pável Pérez in the match against León in J1 of AP23.
Technical details:
- Position: Left winger
- Age: 21 years old
- Weight: 67 kgs
- Height: 1.76 mts.
- Date of Birth: 09/29/2001
- Place of Birth: Mexicali, Baja California.
- Nationality: Mexican
- Profile: Left
- Time in the club: 5 years
- Characteristics: Fast, technical, skillful, with good shot.
Jonathan Yael Padilla Sandoval
- He was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, and has worn the red and white jersey since he was 12 years old, when he came to the U12 team.
- In his training process, he went through the Under 13, Under 15, Under 17 and Under 18 categories.
- He had represented Chivas in tournaments in Chile and the United States.
- He was twice champion with the Under 16 category.
- He played a few minutes with the Under 20 team in the CL23 during the Clásico de Mexico, in which he scored his first goal in that category.
- He was called up by Veljko Paunovic to several Chiverío matches in the CL23.
- He did the preseason with the First Team for the Apertura 2023.
- He is the second player to debut in Liga MX with Veljko Paunovic.
- He came on at 73' for Isaac Brizuela in the match against León in J1 of AP23 and scored the winning goal for the red and white team.
Technical details:
- Position: Attacking midfielder
- Age: 17 years old
- Weight: 63 kgs.
- Height: 1.72 mts.
- Date of Birth: 19/12/05
- Place of Birth: Guadalajara, Jal.
- Profile: Right
- Time with the team: 6 years
- Team of origin: Estudiantes Sta. Cruz
- Characteristics: Technique, intelligence, assisting, good at 1v1, with a good shot.
Raúl Alejandro Martínez Ruíz
- The central defender was born in Hermosillo, Sonora, and joined the club at the age of 12 from the Búhos of his hometown.
- In the Rebaño Sagrado his career spans from the Under 15 to the Tapatío.
- He was champion with the U-15, U-17, U-20 and Tapatío teams.
- He has defended the red and white jersey in youth tournaments in the United States, Japan, Ireland, Italy and the Czech Republic.
- He was an undisputed starter in the Tapatío defense that won the league and Champion of Champions titles in CL23.
- He did the preseason with the First Team for the Apertura 2023.
- He came on at 87' for Víctor Guzmán in the match against León in J1 of AP23.
- He is the third player to receive the confidence of Veljko Paunovic to make his debut in the Maximum Circuit.
Technical details:
- Position: Central defender / holding midfielder
- Age: 20 years old
- Weight: 78 kgs.
- Height: 1.85 mts.
- Date of Birth: 05/03/2003
- Place of Birth: Hermosillo, Son.
- Profile: Right
- Time with the team: 8 years
- Characteristics: Technical, good aerial game, good marking.
