In what will arguably be the headline fixture of Tuesday evening’s Leagues Cup 2023 action, local rivals CF Monterrey and Club Tigres will battle it out for a spot in the quarter-finals of the competition.
The Clásico Regio is one of Mexican football’s most storied fixtures, with the two teams having faced off no less than 132 teams in nearly half a century of match-ups.
Despite the intense nature of the rivalry, several of LIGA MX’s iconic figures have turned out for both teams over the years, even getting on the scoresheet for both on derby days. Here’s a rundown of some of the players who have found the net for both Monterrey teams in the Clásico Regio:
Luis Hernández
The legendary Mexican striker played for a host of clubs across his native country, and the two Nuevo León teams are no exception. He first had a two-year spell with Rayados between 1992 and 1994, before turning out for their cross-town opponents from 1998 to 2000. The forward, who stood out on the pitch with his distinctive long, blonde hair, was at his most clinical with the Auriazules. He would score 38 goals across his two seasons with Club Tigres.
Sebastián Abreu
The former Uruguayan striker is one of football’s great journeymen, playing for no less than 32 teams across the globe. This included a spell in 2006 with CF Monterrey (having already played for four other Mexican teams before that) and another stint with their historic rivals the very next year. Always one to step up for the big occasion, “El Loco” Abreu made sure to score in the Clásico Monterrey in both seasons.
Aldo de Nigris
The former Mexican international may have come through the ranks at Tigres at the start of the 2000s, but it was with the Rayados that he made his mark. He scored 83 goals in 223 appearances for CF Monterrey across two spells from 2009 to 2013, and then 2015 to 2017. De Nigris was notably part of the team that won three CONCACAF Champions League titles in a row, from 2011 to 2013.
The former Mexican international, who recently had spells in as the Rayados assistant manager, also holds a couple of unique distinctions in the history of the Clásico Regio. Not only is he the first Monterrey native to have scored for the two teams, but he is also the first to score in the derby first for Tigres, and then for Rayados.
Gastón Fernández
The Argentine forward had a brief spell on loan at CF Monterrey at the start of his career, before returning to his formative club River Plate - but not before scoring the winner in the derby during the 2006/07 season. He later returned to Mexico in 2009/10 with Club Tigres, where he once again scored in the Clásico Regio - only this time, to end up on the losing team. The latter stretch of his career would notably see him spend time at MLS outfit Portland Timbers.
