Armando Leon called up to the Mexico national team!

Armando Leon has received a major honour, undoubtedly the biggest of his career so far! He has been called up to the senior national team of Mexico, a country of more than 130 million people with a wealth of quality footballers. It is the first call-up for our centre-forward, who was initially named in the provisional squad before head coach Rafael Márquez, former Barcelona regular and Mexican football legend, included him among the players he is counting on for the national team’s upcoming matches.

This season, wearing the NK Osijek shirt, he has delivered tangible results: five goals and two assists, and he is a permanent fixture in the White-and-Blues’ starting line-up. It has already become clear that Armando has turned into the new favourite of the Osijek crowd, certainly because of his goals, but also because he is extremely combative and committed on the pitch and works tirelessly for the team.

Recognition for Armando’s work, and for NK Osijek

As a reminder, Leon arrived at Opus Arena on trial last summer. He did not have a guaranteed place in the squad at the time, but he proved himself day after day in training sessions and friendlies, eventually earning a contract with Osijek. A few months later, he finds himself named among Mexico’s best players, a childhood dream that has now come true.

Before joining Osijek, he played in Andorra, in a league far from the spotlight and the attention of agents. But he believed in himself, and today we are delighted that he was recognised at our club as a player who can help us, and that he has earned his place in the team through patience and perseverance. We know the Mexico head coach can choose from a large pool of very good players competing for well-known clubs across Europe and South America, so a place on that list is a great recognition of Armando’s work, and of NK Osijek as a whole.

“I’m very happy about the call-up to the national team. The daily work is paying off, and I want more. I’m glad I received my first call-up as an Osijek player. I will keep working and enjoying myself so that this is the first of many call-ups. I will keep praying and thanking God for bringing me to places where I enjoy football, like Osijek. Representing my country is a source of pride and a dream,” said Leon.

A true professional who has won everyone over

At the Club, we have come to know him as a tremendous worker on the pitch who is at the peak of his playing years (26), but also as an outstanding person, which is how everyone at Opus Arena sees him. He is an example of a true professional and a man who respects his new surroundings and the people around him in Osijek, and he has won the affection of everyone.

As for his contribution to the White-and-Blues, a wide range of analytical data shows just how important he is to us.

• Armando covers more ground than any other centre-forward in the HNL (11.25 km per 90 minutes) and has the most high-intensity actions (106.7 per 90 minutes, while the average is around 70).
• In high-intensity running and sprinting, he ranks in the top 10 percent of strikers in our league.
• In that category, he is also among the top 10 percent of strikers in Europe’s top five leagues!
• In 12 league matches this season, he has covered a total of 137 kilometres, an average of 11.4 per match. In 7 of those 12 matches he ran more than 12 kilometres, with his highest figure coming against Istra – 12.43 km.
• In 11 of 12 matches he covered more than 1 km at high speed, and his top speed (32.92 km/h) was recorded in the match against Varaždin.

Mexico will play two CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final matches, both against Jamaica. The first leg is scheduled for Saturday, 14 November, in Kingston, while the return leg will be played on Tuesday, 17 November, in Monterrey.

Congratulations to Armando on his first national team call-up, and we wish him every success in the Mexico shirt!