Just days after helping West Ham United end their Premier League season with victory at Ipswich Town, Edson Álvarez was back where it all began, in his hometown of Tlalnepantla, to the deafening reception of thousands of fans.
Now captain of the Mexico national team and a CONCACAF Nations League winner, Álvarez returned to re-inaugurate the very sports complex where he first began to kick a football.
EDSON ÁLVAREZ REGRESA A SU NATAL TLALNEPANTLA 🥹 👏#CentralFOX El mediocampista mexicano re-inaugura el Deportivo Municipal que lleva su nombre y así lo recibe la afición 😯
📹: @David_EG pic.twitter.com/xvAs1TVXtD— FOX Sports MX (@FOXSportsMX) May 27, 2025
Renamed 'Deportivo Edson Álvarez' in his honour, the site has been rehabilitated by the local municipality of Tlalnepantla to recognise the trajectory of a player who has gone from these humble pitches to winning titles with Club América, competing in the UEFA Champions League with Ajax, playing in the Premier League with West Ham, and now proudly wearing the captain’s armband for Mexico.
More than 2,000 people gathered to witness the ribbon cutting. In an emotional address to the crowd chanting his name, Álvarez said: “This is so crazy. You have no idea how I’m feeling right now. I have no words. I want to thank everyone for taking the time to be here. It’s so special for me to come back to my hometown, to Tlalnepantla. I have a lot of feelings. I remember playing my whole childhood on these grounds. To be able to be recognised in this way and to see this sports complex be named after me is such a proud moment. Being in Tlalne or being in England, I feel all of your love and support.”
Now preparing to lead Mexico at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Álvarez will be hoping to guide his nation to a record-extending tenth title in the competition.
Already capped 83 times, and fresh from lifting his first trophy as captain, the 26-year-old is aiming to continue writing history this summer in the USA and Canada.
Mexico’s Group A campaign begins against the Dominican Republic on Sunday 15 June (3.15am BST), at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, the same ground where they lifted the Nations League in March, and their last Gold Cup in 2023.
