With Mexico currently recovering after a deadly 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Mexico City and the surrounding states on Tuesday, many prominent Mexican athletes have stepped to the forefront to aid relief. Beloved striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and his El Tri teammate Miguel Layún are leading the way, as the Mexican stars have set up a relief campaign called YoXMex.
Posting on Instagram, Chicharito said, “It’s time to help and I would like to announce the initiative @YoXMex. Only together can we move forward. Please donate here https://www.youcaring.com/yoxmex. People around the world, I would ask you to help the people of my country. We need a lot of help after what happened. You can donate in the link in my bio. Thank you all!”
The September 19 earthquake has left behind a death toll of over 200 people, and is the second deadly earthquake to hit Mexico in the last month. West Ham has also joined in on the relief effort, as they announced Thursday that they would be auctioning all match-worn shirts from this weekend’s London derby against Tottenham Hotspur for charity; they will also match any donations that they receive.
Aside from Chicharito, others in the Mexican soccer community have stepped up to help victims of the quake. Chivas and Altas fans united to gather supplies after their rivalry game was cancelled. Currently away from Mexico on club duty, Real Betis midfielder Andrés Guardado has been actively trying to help those affected. “I have a foundation back in Mexico and I’ve been trying to coordinate from here how to get food and all the possible help to where it’s needed,” said Guardado to Onda Cero.
The entire football world has also shown up loud in solidarity with their brothers in Mexico. Mexican striker Raúl Jiménez sported a shirt that read “Fuerza México,” shown as he dedicated his goal on Wednesday to his native country. Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema also spoke out in solidarity, saying, “As a representative of the club, we want to send Mexico and the families that have suffered this earthquake, the message that we sympathize with their pain. We are in constant connection with them and we very much feel what happened.”
Even some of the world’s biggest football stars have shown support; both Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar posted on social media about the incident.
With Mexico still reeling, they will need all the love and support that they can get, and it’s always great to see athletes and celebrities band together to help those in need. With this weekend’s Liga MX games postponed, and stadium inspections necessary to ensure safety, soccer is probably far from most Mexicans’ minds. However, the international soccer community is with the country as it looks to recover from this latest natural disaster.
For more on how you can help the victims of the September 19 earthquake, please visit Topos’ website or read our piece on different ways to help.