Atletico Madrid’s Hector Herrera Acquired by Houston Dynamo on Designated Player Deal

It’s a dynamo-ite time for Hector Herrera

The 31-year-old Mexican soccer player and Mexico international midfielder has been acquired by the Houston Dynamo from Atletico Madrid on a Designated Player deal, according to ESPN sources.

Hector HerreraHerrera will join up with Houston on a free transfer when his contract with Atletico expires in the summer.

The move amounts to the second massive acquisition of general manager Pat Onstad‘s tenure. Earlier this year, thanks to the deep pockets of new owner Ted Segal, Onstad signed Libertad forward Sebastian Ferreira.

In Herrera, Houston has now acquired a well-known El Tri player in a city with deep ties to Mexico, one that should generate a significant uptick in interest for the club.

Herrera’s on-field contribution should be immense as well, providing experience and composure on the ball to a young Houston side.

Herrera broke into the professional ranks in 2010 with Liga MX side Pachuca and went on to make 55 league and cup appearances, scoring two goals. He was soon Europe-bound, signing with Portuguese giants Porto in 2013 for a fee of almost $9 million. He went on to become a mainstay for the Dragons, making 245 league and cup appearances, scoring 35 goals while helping Porto to the 2017-18 Primeira Liga title.

After six seasons with Porto, Herrera moved to LaLiga with Atletico, where he made 71 league and cup appearances, scoring one goal. His contributions helped Atleti claim the 2020-21 LaLiga crown.

At international level, Herrera has been a constant presence for Mexico, making 96 appearances and scoring 10 goals. He was part of the side that won an Olympic gold medal at the 2012 games in London, and took part in the 2014 and 2018 World Cups.

TUDN was the first to report that a deal between the Dynamo and Herrera and been agreed.

Luis Diaz Agrees to Contract with Liverpool

Luis Diaz is switching sides…

Liverpool has completed the signing of the 25-year-old Colombian professional footballer from Porto despite strong interest from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Luis Diaz

The deal is subject to Diaz agreeing a work permit.

Diaz was Jurgen Klopp‘s primary target for the summer transfer window, according to ESPN sources, but the club brought forward their plans to sign the winger when Spurs opened talks with Porto last week. Sources added that Diaz has signed a contract until 2027 at the club.

“I could not be happier that we’ve been able to get this deal done and bring Luis to Liverpool,” Klopp said.

“I have always been a believer in only signing players in January if you would want to sign them in the summer, and that’s very much the case with Luis.

“He is an outstanding player and someone we’ve been tracking for a very long time.

“This team deserved to add quality and when we played against Luis earlier this season, we saw what a danger he is, how fast he is and how his mentality was to help his team.

“We know Porto is an outstanding club who nurture players in the best possible way and provide a brilliant football education. They are a class club and, I have to say, have been tough negotiators.”

Liverpool faced a host of logistical issues in signing Diaz, who is in South America with the Colombia squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Argentina, but were able to complete the deal ahead of the by the 11:00 pm GMT (5:00 pm ET) transfer deadline on Monday.

Diaz requires a work permit to enter the United Kingdom and therefore will unlikely arrive in Liverpool until the end of next week at the earliest.

“We also have to say thank you to the Colombia FA for being so helpful in allowing us the time to complete this deal,” Klopp added. “They have a big game on Tuesday and I know as well as anyone how important preparation is for matches, so for them to allow us a few hours to finalise the transfer without impacting their training was greatly appreciated.

“I also must make clear my appreciation to our ownership and football operations team for how they have managed to act so decisively to get this done.

“Luis is a player we believe will make us better now and in the future. He is the player we really wanted and they’ve made it happen, so I am very happy.”

The winger has been in fine form for Porto this season, scoring 14 goals in 18 games in Portugal’s Primeira Liga, as well as scoring twice in this season’s Champions League group stage.

Diaz joined Porto from Colombian side Atletico Junior in 2019 and has made 125 appearances, scoring 41 goals and registering 20 assists.

https://twitter.com/LFC/status/1487756795544223746

Lionel Messi Claims His Fourth European Golden Shoe Award

Lionel Messi is soccer’s Golden boy…

The 30-year-old soccer star received his fourth European Golden Shoe on Friday after netting 37 times in La Liga play during the 2016-17 season.

Lionel Messi

Messi beat out Sporting CP‘s Bas Dost (34 goals in Portugal‘s Primeira Liga) and Borussia Dortmund‘s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (31 in the Bundesliga) in the top three to claim the prize, which is presented to Europe’s top goal scorer.

After also winning the award in 2012-13 (46 league goals), 2011-12 (50) and 2009-10 (34), Messi is tied with Real Madrid‘s Cristiano Ronaldo for most regular winner of the Golden Shoe.

Messi’s 37 goals last season came in 34 Spanish top-flight appearances, but they were delivered as part of losing cause, as Real Madrid beat out Barca to the title.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has netted 12 goals in 12 games in the 2017-18 La Liga campaign.

He’s trailing Lazio‘s Ciro Immobile and Paris Saint-Germain‘s Edinson Cavani, who have netted 15 goals in Serie A and Ligue 1, respectively, in the race for this year’s Golden Shoe. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich‘s Robert Lewandowski, AS Monaco‘s Radamel Falcao and Inter Milan‘s Mauro Icardi have all netted 13 times.

Ronaldo, though, does not look like troubling the upper echelon of the European Golden Shoe rankings anytime soon, as he has netted just once in La Liga this season.

Messi will be looking to add to his tally on Sunday when top-of-the-table Barca travel to face second-place Valencia at the Mestalla.