Mexico captain Edson Álvarez said he will miss the remainder of the Copa América after suffering a hamstring injury.
Álvarez suffered a hamstring injury in the 30th minute of Mexico’s 1-0 win over Jamaica on Saturday and left the field in tears.
“I had that dream just like my teammates, but sometimes these things happen in football and I will have to learn and grow from this,” Álvarez said in a video posted on social media by the national team. “I have made the decision to stay with the team until the end and support and encourage them, as I have always done. Now it’s my turn to leave the field. It will also contribute to my rehabilitation and return as soon as possible.”
Coach Jaime Lozano had said that losing a leader like Álvarez would be a huge blow to the side.
Lozano named a youthful squad for the tournament, hoping to spark a reset after years of underperformance. A generation of players who reached the World Cup stages in 2014 and 2018 failed to progress from the group stage in 2022. The call for a generational change led Lozano to leave 38-year-old goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa from his squad. Hirving Lozano, Henry Martín, Jesús Gallardo and Raúl Jiménez all stayed home too, big-name veterans who had a reason to be in the squad but were left out.
Not only is Álvarez Mexico’s best player, but he also boasts 80 caps, filling some of the leadership void left by the exodus of veterans. With Álvarez out, the manager hands the captaincy to the 27-year-old Almería defender Cesar Montes
“Now it’s César’s turn to become captain, and I think he will help us a lot too,” Lozano said.
Mexico, which is participating in the Copa América for the eleventh time, reached the final in 1993 and 2001.
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Mexico will face Venezuela in their second Group B match on Wednesday in Inglewood, California. They will close out the group on Sunday against Ecuador.