Everything you need to know ahead of the 250th ‘Super Clásico’

Vega confession prompts ‘You’re just realizing that now?’ response

Alexis Vega has been a Liga MX star-in-the-making since debuting with Toluca back in 2016. His dribbling skills and powerful right foot eventually earned him a spot with the national team and the Mexico City native was one of the few bright spots in El Tri’s brief 2022 World Cup showing.

Despite the high praise he often received for his playmaking, Vega’s productivity never quite matched the headlines he earned.  Vega career stats feature just 48 goals and 35 assists in 221 games across all competitions.

To make matters worse, Alexis got the reputation as a partier who lacked discipline, and this alleged character flaw was made more damaging by his recent fitness troubles. Over the past three seasons, Vega has gotten the reputation of a 60-minute man, a player unable to finish games and one that was too often struggling with fitness issues.

Vega addressed these concerns with TV Azteca during the past FIFA break, explaining to reporters that Chivas coach Veljko Paunovic and general manager Fernando Hierro, the Real Madrid legend,  have made him realize how important it is to take care of his body.

Alexis declared a newfound commitment to diet and training but as he elaborated on this recent “realization,” his comments caused a few eyebrows to be raised.

In praising Paunovic’s methods, one of the things Vega said is that his coach made him realize that it is important to be on time for training, a confession that shocked Liga MX pundits.

Critics pounced, wondering how 7½ years into his Liga MX career the talented Vega was just now realizing that professionalism required quite a lot more than showing up whenever he felt like it.

The admission also reopened the debate about how some Liga MX and Team Mexico stars develop a sense of entitlement and, worse, are indulged by teams and coaches (the coaches too often overruled by ownership, sponsors and agents).

Vega also disclosed that he had lost 12 pounds since adopting his new dietary and fitness regimen, yet questions remain.  Coach Paunovic – in his second season with “the most popular Liga MX team” – is still not convinced that Vega is a 90-minute man.

With all this controversy swirling around the Guadalajara starlet – Vega is still only 25 years old – it will be interesting to see how the flamboyant winger performs against América in Saturday night’s “Super Clásico.”