West Ham United’s Edson Álvarez first arrived in Europe when Ajax signed him from Club América in 2019.
The Mexico international spent four years with the Eredivisie side before joining West Ham in August 2023.
Álvarez was the latest guest on podcast, _We Are Brave_, and [La Opinión](https://laopinion.com/2025/04/02/edson-alvarez-y-las-razones-de-porque-rechazo-jugar-para-cruz-azul/) have relayed his comments.
During the lengthy discussion, the 27-year-old opened up about the opportunity he had to join Cruz Azul earlier in his career.
The midfielder had started his youth career at CF Pachuca’s academy and moved to Club América in 2014. He wanted to join Cruz Azul, because of his father, and they also wanted him.
Álvarez underwent a trail at Cruz Azul and clearly impressed the club, who were eager to take him. In fact, the Mexican club’s then representatives praising him had changed his ‘perspective’.
_“After playing in the third division, they told me ‘You’re ready to take the next step’, they put Pumas, Cruz Azul and América on the table, I said ‘I want Cruz Azul because my dad has played for Cruz Azul all his life’, I made the decision to go there because of my dad,”_ he said.
_“My dad took me to La Noria by metro… that day I arrived at 11 in the morning, they had me sitting for three hours and then at the trials, I played very well and the perspective changed, they told me ‘you’re not a normal kid’, where you come from and they asked me to bring my papers so they could register me.”_
The West Ham player has explained that he snubbed Cruz Azul because the entire process was too easy for him. He was expecting it to be more challenging.
_“I remember on the way home I was thinking how easy it was, it can’t be so easy, it has to cost me more because I come from a place \[Pachuca\] where they told me I wasn’t good enough and that’s when I made the decision not to go to Cruz Azul anymore,”_ Álvarez explained.
_“I said ‘I want something more difficult’. I was 15 years old, and my dad told me ‘You’re crazy, bring your birth certificate’ and I told my dad how I felt and told him that I wanted another challenge.”_
The Mexican has been in Europe for over five years and is a regular for the national team. It looks like his decision to snub Cruz Azul has worked out quite well.