José Juan Macías was considered one of the great promises of Mexican football, with a promising future in Europe. However, his career was cut short by injuries, and he recently announced his retirement at 25. Before Santi Giménez’s breakout at Feyenoord, Macías was considered the great figure of Mexican football.

José Juan Macías’s Rise, His Time at Chivas, and European Football

In 2018, José Juan Macías shone with the Mexican Under-20 national team, scoring 10 goals in 8 matches during the CONCACAF tournament. Despite his great performance, Mexico lost the final to the United States. This performance earned him a spot on the first team at Chivas, which loaned him to Club León, where he continued his rise with 19 goals in 40 matches.

His move to Europe came in 2021 when Macías was loaned to Getafe in Spain. However, after only eight matches in six months, he returned to Mexico. From there, injuries started to impact his career, especially a torn ACL in 2022, which kept him out of action for over 500 days.

The Premature End of José Juan Macías’s Career

Although José Juan Macías recovered by the end of 2023, his level of play had already declined. In July 2024, he was transferred to Santos Laguna for 2.3 million euros. However, he only played five matches and scored one goal, which led him to make the difficult decision to retire at 25.

In total, José Juan Macías played 165 matches in his career, scoring 55 goals, and with the Mexican national team, he scored 4 goals in 5 matches. His premature retirement is one of the great disappointments of Mexican football, leaving an unfulfilled promise.