Mexico’s Santiago Giménez joins Porto on loan

Santiago Giménez says joining Porto gives him a chance to write the next chapter of his career after a difficult spell at Milan. The Portuguese club presented the 25-year-old Mexican striker on Monday after securing him on loan until the end of the season.

Porto will have the option to sign him permanently for 18 million euros. The purchase could become mandatory if Giménez reaches certain sporting targets, although the club did not specify what those targets are.

“It was a very important decision, because I want to keep writing my own story and feel important,” Giménez told Porto’s media. He said the move would add a great deal to his career and that he hoped to bring the team “a mixture of the Mexican and Argentine fighting spirit.”

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It was a very important decision, because I want to keep writing my own story and feel important

The striker scored only seven goals during his season and a half with Milan, a sharp contrast with his record at Feyenoord. He scored 65 goals in 105 matches for the Dutch club, helping it win a league title, a cup and a Dutch Super Cup.

Giménez represents Mexico but was born in Buenos Aires while his father, former Argentine midfielder Christian “Chaco” Giménez, was playing for Boca Juniors. He began his own career at Mexico’s Cruz Azul, winning several trophies, including the Liga MX. Porto has previously featured Mexican players such as Héctor Herrera, Jesús “Tecatito” Corona, Miguel Layún and Diego Reyes, and operates youth academies in Monterrey and Mexico City.

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a mixture of the Mexican and Argentine fighting spirit