Yael Padilla – La Joya by Jake McGhee
Introduction
A club with a history of producing exciting young attacking talents such as El Tri’s former star Chicharito and upcoming striker Jose Juan Macías Chivas are one of Mexico’s most famed and successful teams. In a relatively sparse time for young talent coming out of Mexico there is one name that stands out from the list, and exciting and explosive young winger who this season has burst onto the scene for Los Rojiblancos: Yael ‘la joya’ Padilla.
At only 18 years old he’s quickly become one of the most talked about youngsters in Liga MX this season and it’s not hard to understand why when you see him play.
Playstyle
Dynamic, agile and possessing explosive speed Padilla’s short stature and low centre of gravity allow for him to be a nightmare for opposing defenders. His directness and darting runs into space allow Yael to have full control of whichever wing he finds himself on, able to hug the touchline or drop into more central roles his versatility has been a big weapon for Chivas this season. The ability to mix his game up has also proved effective this season, he can take his time on the ball and draw defenders in and either skip by his man or pass forward into the space he has created by drawing his opposing number out.
Yael’s link up play is also a strong suit of his game, able to bring others into the game with quick 1 touch passes and then bursting forward into space to continue the attack his quick touch and go style of play has caused problems for defences in Liga MX this season.
For a small and relatively physically unimposing player Yale’s ballstriking is impressive, able to generate a large amount of power behind his shots and also displaying a natural knack for finishing he is a serious danger when presented with a shot on goal, he has cropped up with some big goals this season for Chivas such as this last minute winner where he shows good presence of mind to turn and nullify 2 defenders in one move before delivering the crucial goal in thanks to a slight deflection.
Being such a young player there are inevitably some flaws to his game which will be ironed out in time given continued development and hard work off the pitch, physically he isn’t the strongest player and struggles in battles for possession. His decision making at times also leaves a bit to be desired but with more game experience he will mature and recognise when to retain possession himself and when to play it safe.
The Future
With his young age and hot run of form he doesn’t seem too far away from a call up for Mexico’s national side, he is fully deserving of one and his non-inclusion left many Mexicans scratching their heads about why he was left out. A highly naturally skilled young winger with bags of potential it’s inevitable he’ll atleast thinking about making the jump overseas at some point or head north to the MLS; a league such as the Eredivisie or the MLS would be a great move for him in my opinion in a season or two’s time after a little bit more development and perhaps a call up to El Tri in the meantime.