After spending over two seasons at Stuttgart, Mexican midfielder Pável Pardo is going back to América in a three-year deal. The deal, valued at 4 million euros, is proof that Mexican clubs have the financial muscle to sign players from the major European leagues, even in the current economic climate. But why is Pardo returning home?
After the 2006 World Cup, there was an increased awareness in Mexico that their best players needed to be in the top European leagues, and there was a line of top European clubs offering to pay for their services. Pardo made an immediate impact for Stuttgart, starting almost every game for them in midfield and proving instrumental in their championship run in 2007. He hasn't played in every match this season because of injury or international duty, but even so he has been rated among the top players on the team.
Even though Pardo was still capable of playing at a high level in Europe, after considering his options a return to Mexico appeared to be in his best interest. Pável Pardo turned 32 in July and was approaching the end of his current contract in six months, and Stuttgart has a policy of re-signing players over 30 to one-year contracts. With more years behind his career than ahead of him, Pardo was seeking a deal that would offer both financial and job security. América, for whom he had played for seven seasons, had the money, and coach Ramón Díaz needed a midfielder of his quality to compete for the Clausura title.
Will Pardo's return stem the movement of Mexican players to Europe? The trend in recent years has been for the top young players in the Mexican league to move to Europe, especially Spain, and while that trend could diminish in the wake of the global financial crisis, I don't see it totally disappearing. The Mexican league is unique among non-European leagues in that it actually has the money to pay its local players competitive salaries. The return of the more experienced Mexican players will be arranged on a case-by-case basis, but it shouldn't be done at the expense of the youth programs in the various clubs.
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