Until recently, goalkeeper Luis Malagón was an unproven substitute on the Club América bench. After Sunday's title-winning Liga MX final, he showed why he has not only been The Eagles'best player in Clausura 2024, but also the best in the entire Liga MX.
Years after almost walking away from his dreams due to missing his family (and his mother's home-cooked meals) as a teenager in the Santos Laguna academic system, the Michoacán native held his ground online during the end of week with five highlights. save in a 1-0 victory over Cruz Azul that secured the second consecutive title for Club América. With the trophy secured after a 2-1 aggregate victory, and Malagón holding city rivals goalless in the second leg, the Mexico City giants extended their record haul of Liga MX trophies to 15.
For its part, Malagón on the way to the final finished the regular season as the goalkeeper with the best goals avoided rating (5.44). Of the 13 Liga MX players who had more than 15 net regular season games, none surpassed his remarkable 78.2% save percentage. Not bad for a humble figure who was once an afterthought for Club América just a few months ago.
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Malagón, who arrived before Clausura 2023 in the shadow of outgoing goalkeeper legend Guillermo Ochoa, initially did not win over then-coach Fernando Ortiz. When the Clausura began, the up-and-comer waited patiently on the bench as he watched senior Óscar Jiménez earn consecutive starts in net during The Eagles.
Halfway through the season, Ortiz decided to alter his lineup after a particularly poor performance by Jiménez in a 3-0 home loss to Pachuca. In a baptism of fire, Malagón found himself earning his first start with Club América in arguably the most intimidating stadium in Mexican soccer.
During a visiting match against Tigres in their stadium that is nicknamed The volcano (El Volcán), Malagón impressed with a clean sheet in a 2-0 victory in March 2023. An eight-game unbeaten streak was maintained as Malagón dominated between the sticks, and when the following Apertura 2023 tournament came under the leadership Under new coach André Jardine, the number one spot was his.
Working their way to first place in the Apertura standings and an eventual spot in the Liga MX final, Club América was molded by Jardine into the best offense and defense. Malagón helped lead the backline in front of him, and in the Apertura championship series against Tigres, he allowed just one goal in over 180 minutes. After helping secure a 4-1 aggregate victory that cemented Club América's 14th championship, Malagón was unpretentious in its celebration plans.
“The only thing I want is to go to Michoacán now,” the goalkeeper told Claro Sports. “I came home and my mom made me bean tacos, a grilled steak and a molcajete sauce.”
Buoyed by home-cooked meals in pre-season, or perhaps more confidently through call-ups to the Mexican national team and Liga MX titles, Malagón was nothing short of brilliant in the just-concluded Clausura 2024. In fact, the player from The 27-year-old topped ESPN's ranking of the best regular-season players thanks to his game-changing saves that emerged week after week. In the second leg of Sunday's Liga MX final at a rainy Estadio Azteca, one of those saves perfectly highlighted how important he has become for the Mexico City team.
After making four crucial interventions against a much more proactive Cruz Azul side, Malagón kept Club América's title hopes alive through a dramatic save in the 91st minute that would have tied the score. If Cruz Azul's Rodrigo Huescas' shot had gone in, making it 1-1 in the second leg and 2-2 on aggregate, two overtime periods would have been the likely outcome of the final.
“I have to go, whatever,” Malagón told TUDN about his thought process. “But I think it was the adrenaline you have in the moment, and thank God it worked and today we are champions.”
Of course, credit must also be given to a leader like Jardine, the scorer Henry Martín and fundamental players throughout the season like Jonathan dos Santos, Álvaro Fidalgo and others who have helped achieve consecutive titles, but it cannot be denied that Malagón was the savior. And on a much bigger stage this summer, Mexico will also hope to do the same with the national team.
Similar to filling Ochoa's huge gloves at Club América, Malagón will do the same for Mexico after it emerged this month that the legendary five-time World Cup participant was left out of the Copa América roster. As part of a generational change that has left out a handful of senior players in the latest call-up, Malagón now suddenly finds himself the most experienced international goalkeeper in Mexico's squad with just four appearances under his belt. So can he make a comparable impact for club and country?
When Malagón arrived at Club América a little over a year ago, there was a feeling that they were beginning to lose their leadership as the most powerful team in Liga MX. One title in the previous 15 seasons wasn't exactly the sign of a successful organization at its peak. Many factors came into play, such as the momentous hiring of Jardine, but Malagón has been an invaluable part of the process that has led to two consecutive titles.
When looking at Mexico, the narrative of a fallen giant is similar to what Club América was going through before Malagón arrived. They are no longer the undisputed kings of North America, The Tri They have struggled to keep pace with the United States and have had problems with other growing Concacaf nations. In the last World Cup, Mexico also did not meet expectations after an early elimination in the group stage.
Malagón has patiently waited his turn on the international stage, and at this summer's Copa América, all signs point to him also getting the chance to revive Mexico. Humble as always, he will celebrate responsibly before becoming possible The TriThe next savior.
“The only thing I want is to go to Michoacán, to my house, to my parents,” Malagón told TUDN with a smile after winning Sunday's trophy. “Where there is no signal, there is nothing.”
