Among the enticing matchups in Week 13 of the Liga MX 2018 Apertura is the clash between Queretaro and Cruz Azul this Saturday, October 20, 2018. The teams do not have a long history of exchanging players, but there have been some notable figures to represent both Los Cementeros and Los Gallos Blancos, here are five.
Andres Renteria
Renteria was a recent addition to Cruz Azul this season and has been a solid role player so far with a goal in five league games. The Colombian forward’s last team in Mexico before joining La Maquina was Queretaro, where he scored just one goal in two tournaments.
Israel Lopez
The Mexican midfielder is better known for his days with Pumas UNAM and specifically Toluca, where he won three league titles, but he also had stints with Cruz Azul and Queretaro later in his career. “Toshiro” was solid for Los Celestes as he controlled the midfield in his stints with the team and then went on to finish his career in 2012 with Los Gallos Blancos.
Joaquin Beltran
Beltran only played with four teams in his extensive career that spanned from 1996-2010 and he had his best days with Pumas UNAM, but was not bad with La Maquina and Queretaro. The Mexican centre-back had 80 appearances with Los Cementeros from 2007-2009 and became a bit of a cult hero with Queretaro as he ended his career in 2010 with Los Gallos Blancos.
Emanuel Villa
The Argentine striker called it quits earlier this year, but was a prolific goalscorer in almost every Liga MX team he played in, including Cruz Azul and Queretaro. “Tito” scored 51 goals with La Maquina from 2009-2012 and 28 goals with Queretaro from 2015-2018 towards the end of his career.
Ricardo Osorio
Like several other players on this list, Ricardo Osorio also played with Queretaro later on in his career back in 2014 and 2015. Osorio is one of the best players Cruz Azul ever produced as he had 140 appearances with the Mexico City club from 2001-2006 before making his big move to Stuttgart in the German Bundesliga.
