Uriel Antuna’s future may be away from Tigres

Mexican soccer has seen many players throughout its history who have shone in bright but all-too-brief glimpses. One recent example is Uriel Antuna, the top scorer of the Clausura 2024, who is yet to score in 23 Liga MX appearances with Tigres.

The attacker from the Laguna region became a prolific scorer with Cruz Azul but has not managed to replicate that form in Monterrey.

Antuna has played for the Mexican national team, has lifted the Gold Cup, and even earned an Olympic bronze medal at Tokyo 2020. He began his professional career with Santos Laguna, then went to Europe with Manchester City. From there he was loaned out to Groningen in the Dutch Eredivisie. However, he didn’t last long in Europe and returned to play in the United States with LA Galaxy.

In 2020 Chivas brought him back to Liga MX and then he moved to Cruz Azul, where he had the best stretch of his career. The winger notched 28 goals in 110 games for Cruz Azul but the transfer to Tigres has not gone to plan.

Less than a year on, rumors have surfaced suggesting that he could be on the move again. Reports suggest that a return to Mexico City but not to Pumas, a team that had previously been linked with a deal. Instead, his likely next destination is Mazatlán.

It offers a change of scenery for a player who has never looked at home with Tigres and allows the team to move on from a struggling player. For Mazatlán, the upside is obvious. Antuna is a player who has scored goals in Liga MX and has racked up 64 caps with the Mexican national team.

At 27 years old, Antuna is now in his prime years. If he is to make good on his substantial talent, he needs to start showing it on a regular basis.