Elías Montiel Stays in Mexico With Atlas After Shining Against Real Madrid in the Intercontinental Cup

A year and a half ago, Elías Montiel was walking the red carpet at an Intercontinental Cup final against Real Madrid, picking up the tournament's Bronze Ball and even getting a compliment from Florentino Pérez himself. Everything pointed to the next chapter of his career being written in Europe. Life, though, had other plans, and the 20 year old midfielder has just signed with Atlas.

Yes, you read that right: he's staying in Liga MX. Pachuca agreed to send him to the Zorros for a base fee close to $12 million, one of the most talked about transfers in the Mexican market so far this year. For a club known for exporting talent abroad, watching one of its most prized products switch teams within the country hits differently.

Montiel was no ordinary name in Pachuca's collection. The Tuzos have earned a reputation, deservedly so, as a factory of young players who go on to play in Europe, and the midfielder looked like the next name on that list. His performance at the 2024 Intercontinental Cup backed that up: he finished as the tournament's third best player, sharing the podium with none other than Vinícius Jr. and Federico Valverde. Not just anyone's company.

That's also where the moment came that Montiel remembers most fondly: his encounter with Florentino Pérez.

I was walking through, greeting all the executives, the people in charge, and then I go up to Florentino and greet him. I shake his hand and it's one of those classic moments where you want to move on but he holds onto your hand. I turn back and he tells me: 'I've talked to several friends of mine and they've told me you play soccer well, and today I've seen it for myself. Honestly I'm very pleased, keep working hard.'Elías Montiel

The Real Madrid president, according to Montiel, went further and made it clear he wouldn't lose track of his career.

He tells me I played well, to keep working hard, and that he's going to keep an eye on me.Elías Montiel

Words like that, coming from who they came from, carry weight. Montiel admitted flat out that the encounter reinforced a goal he already had in mind.

That's the dream, I think, of every young Mexican player: to move to Europe as soon as possible. I'm not ruling that out, that's my main short term goal, to get to Europe and keep growing in soccer.Elías Montiel

Injuries Put on the Brakes

So what happened to push back the European move? The answer lies in his body, not his talent. Pubalgia and other physical issues cut short his run of form right when he needed to show consistency, and that also made it harder for him to fight for a spot on the Mexican national team ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Now the challenge shifts to a new stage, but not in substance. At Atlas, Montiel will look to recover the form that had him sharing the field and the podium with Real Madrid stars. Europe is still out there, on the horizon, a goal that at 20 years old he still isn't ready to let go of.