Dani Alves is no longer a Barcelona player, but the Brazil international isn't ready to hang up his boots just yet.
The veteran has completed a move to Mexican side Pumas, who teased his arrival on social media. "Dani Alves, we are waiting for you," read the message from the Mexico City-based outfit, who finished last season in the bottom half of the table.
Pumas have welcomed a number of foreign players over the years, with former Germany international Bernd Schuster among them. Alves won't even be the first Brazilian in their ranks, with Higor Meritao and Diogo part of the squad last season, while a number of former Barcelona players have ended up elsewhere in the country in years gone by.
According to ESPN, Alves has put pen to paper on an initial one-year deal. He will be 40 at the end of the season, but has an option to stay for a second year.
Liga MX isn't a traditional home for players who have featured in top European leagues, but plenty of names familiar to English audiences have made the switch. Here, Mirror Football takes a closer look at seven men who tried their luck in Mexico after spells in Europe, including several former Premier League players.
Pep Guardiola
Guardiola spent the overwhelming majority of his career at Barcelona but became something of a nomad following his Camp Nou exit. After stints with Brescia, Roma and Qatari side Al-Ahli, the Spanish international ended his career in Sinaloa with Dorados.
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It was during his time in Mexico that Guardiola worked under Juanma Lillo, a man who would help the then-midfielder establish himself as a manager. Indeed, he would admit Lillo's presence in the dugout convinced him to join the club.
Lillo, who served as Guardiola's number two after Mikel Arteta left to take the Arsenal job, has managed in several countries including Spain, Japan and Colombia. He turned down offers to leave his post under Guardiola, but eventually accepted the top job at Al-Sadd in Doha this year.
Vincent Janssen
Janssen arrived in the Premier League for big money and with a solid reputation, but it didn't work out for the Dutchman. The striker cost Tottenham Hotspur £17million in 2016 after an impressive goal return with AZ, but left after scoring just twice in the Premier League.
Spurs sold the striker at a loss in 2019, with Monterrey the destination. While his goal return in Mexico hasn't been the best, Janssen earned a surprise recall to the Dutch squad this year after a five-year absence.
His time in Mexico came to an end in June, with Royal Antwerp bringing the 28-year-old to Belgium. In 77 Liga MX games, Janssen found the net just 15 times.
Colin Kazim-Richards
It might be easier to list the countries in which Colin Kazim-Richards hasn't played at this stage. The London-born Turkish international turned out for no fewer than three Liga MX clubs after his time in Brazil and before his return to English football with Derby County.
The forward's first taste of Mexican football took the form of a loan at Lobos BUAP, followed by game time at Veracruz and Pachuca. He left the latter midway through the 2020-21 season, with his last Pachuca goal coming from the penalty spot against Club America.
Kazim-Richards also notched a hat-trick during his time with Pachuca, hitting three in a cup victory over Venados in January 2020. He's now back in Turkey with Fatih Kamagumruk, where he will be playing under new manager Andrea Pirlo.
Ravel Morrison
Briefly a teammate of Kazim-Richards at Derby, Morrison also spent time in Mexico earlier in his career. The former Manchester United starlet enjoyed a diverting loan spell at Atlas during the 2017-18 season after failing to hold down a first team spot at Lazio.
The midfielder scored three league goals in his sole season at the club, adding one in the Copa MX. Brief spells in Sweden and the Netherlands have followed, as well as a full season with Derby in which he was unable to keep Wayne Rooney's side in the Championship.
Morrison has now been reunited with Rooney at D.C. United, putting pen to paper on a deal which runs through to the end of 2023. "Ravel is an incredible talent and his ability to create and score goals is impressive," the MLS side's president of soccer operations, Dave Kasper, said. "He has played at the highest levels during his career and his vision, creativity and ability on the ball will be a huge asset for us."
Ronaldinho
Not only is Alves not the first ex-Barca star to move to Mexico, he's not even the first Brazilian ex-Barca star. Ronaldinho left Camp Nou the same summer that Alves joined, and paved the way for his compatriot to complete his latest move.
The former Gremio star landed in Queretaro towards the end of his career but still had a fair amount to offer. He found the net eight times in just 25 league appearances and 29 overall, but left before Queretaro began their 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League campaign.
After leaving the club, Ronaldinho brought the curtain down on his career back in his home country. "I want to thank the Mexican nation with all my heart for all the days I spent with such special people, you will always be in my heart," he said upon cutting short his stay.
Florian Thauvin
It's not that often you see a World Cup winner from a European country playing in Mexico before the next edition of the tournament, but that's what Thauvin has done. The former Newcastle forward didn't start a single game for France in 2018, but still ended up with a medal.
The 29-year-old last played for the French senior side in 2019, but was one of the overage players who travelled to Tokyo in 2021 for the Olympic Games. By then, he had agreed terms with Liga MX outfit Tigres, and he scored six times last term after joining the club from Marseille.
Thauvin isn't the only Frenchman at Tigres, either. Andre-Pierre Gignac also joined the multiple league champions from Marseille - arriving back in 2015 - and has set a new record as the club's all-time top scorer with more than 150 goals.
Antonio Valencia
The second Manchester United man on the list, Valencia's Mexico stint is among the more recent. The Ecuador international returned home after leaving Old Trafford, but followed a season at LDU Quito with a year at Queretaro.
Having played more than 300 times for United, the right-back was winding down his career by the time he moved to Liga MX. Just a handful of games followed before he decided to hang up his boots in 2021.
"I did not think this moment would come so soon but my body has asked me to make this decision. I am announcing my retirement from football," he said. "I want to thank everyone who has been part of my career and my life."
