Carlos Salcedo facts for kids
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Salcedo with Mexico at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Carlos Joel Salcedo Hernández | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 29 September 1993 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Monterrey | ||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Guadalajara | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2012 | Tigres UANL | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Real Salt Lake | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Real Salt Lake | 25 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | Guadalajara | 55 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | → Fiorentina (loan) | 18 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | → Eintracht Frankfurt (loan) | 20 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2022 | Tigres UANL | 85 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Toronto FC | 13 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Juárez | 31 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Cruz Azul | 33 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Juárez | 13 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Monterrey | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Mexico U21 | 5 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Mexico Olympic | 7 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2021 | Mexico | 47 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 November 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 1 August 2021 |
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Carlos Joel Salcedo Hernández, born on September 29, 1993, is a Mexican professional football player. People also call him El Titán (The Titan). He plays as a central defender for the club Monterrey in Liga MX, which is Mexico's top football league.
Carlos Salcedo started his football journey in the youth teams of Guadalajara and Tigres UANL. He then moved to Real Salt Lake in the United States, where he played his first professional game in 2013. After that, he returned to Guadalajara in 2015. In the following years, he played for European clubs like Fiorentina in Italy and Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany.
In January 2019, Salcedo came back to Mexico to join Tigres UANL. He also played for Toronto FC in Canada, and then for Juárez and Cruz Azul in Mexico. In 2025, he joined Monterrey. Carlos Salcedo has also been an important player for the Mexican national team. He played in major tournaments like the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Contents
Carlos Salcedo's Club Career
Starting Out in Football
Carlos Salcedo trained in the youth academies of Guadalajara and Tigres UANL. In January 2012, he joined the academy of Major League Soccer (MLS) club Real Salt Lake in the United States. By August of the same year, he started practicing with the main team. Salcedo signed a special "home grown player" contract with Real Salt Lake in January 2013.
Playing for Real Salt Lake
On May 4, 2013, Salcedo made his first professional MLS appearance for Real Salt Lake. He came into the game as a substitute in the 89th minute, helping his team win 2–0 against Vancouver Whitecaps. In the second half of the 2013 season, he became a regular starter, playing in 12 games.
After not playing much in the 2014 season, Salcedo decided to leave Real Salt Lake. He mentioned some disagreements with the team's former general manager.
Returning to Guadalajara
On January 6, 2015, Carlos Salcedo returned to the Mexican club C.D. Guadalajara. He made his debut for Guadalajara in a 2–1 home win against Pumas UNAM. He played for the first 60 minutes of that match.
On March 1, Salcedo scored his first goal for the club in a 3–0 home victory against Monterrey. He played the entire game. At the end of his first tournament with Chivas (Guadalajara's nickname), he was chosen as one of the best players in the league.
In the next season, he helped Guadalajara win the Apertura 2015 Copa MX. They beat Club León 1–0 in the final. This win also qualified them for the 2016 Supercopa MX, which they also won by defeating Veracruz 2–0.
Loan to Fiorentina
On August 21, 2016, the Italian club ACF Fiorentina announced that Carlos Salcedo would join them on loan. They also had the option to buy him permanently later. Salcedo played his first game for Fiorentina on September 15 in a 0–0 draw against PAOK in the Europa League. Ten days later, he made his Serie A (Italian league) debut in another 0–0 draw against Milan.
Loan to Eintracht Frankfurt
On June 13, 2017, Salcedo moved to the German team Eintracht Frankfurt on a loan deal from Guadalajara. They also had an option to buy him. After a shoulder injury he got during the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, Salcedo's first game in the Bundesliga (German league) was on September 9. Eintracht Frankfurt won 1–0 against Borussia Mönchengladbach, and Salcedo played the whole match.
In April 2018, Salcedo was one of three central defenders nominated for the Bundesliga Team of the Season. On May 14, Eintracht Frankfurt announced they had signed Salcedo to a four-year contract. On May 19, Salcedo and Eintracht Frankfurt won the DFB-Pokal (German Cup). They defeated Bayern Munich 3–1 in the final.
Playing for Eintracht Frankfurt
On August 12, 2018, Salcedo played his first game of the new season for Frankfurt. They lost 5–0 to Bayern Munich in the DFL-Supercup. On September 1, during a league match against Werder Bremen, Salcedo got a high ankle sprain. This injury kept him out of action for some time. He returned to the team as a substitute on December 2 and started a game six days later.
Joining Tigres UANL
On January 22, 2019, Tigres UANL announced they had signed Salcedo to a four-year contract. He chose to return to Mexico because of family reasons. Salcedo also explained that he did not go back to Guadalajara because they only wanted him on loan, which Frankfurt did not accept. Two weeks after joining Tigres, Salcedo played his first Liga MX game for them, a 2–0 win against Veracruz.
On March 12, Salcedo scored his first goal for Tigres in the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals against Houston Dynamo. Tigres won that game 1–0. Four days later, he scored his first league goal for Tigres in a 4–1 win over Querétaro. Even though Tigres finished second in the CONCACAF Champions League Finals to their city rivals C.F. Monterrey, Salcedo was named in the competition's Best XI. On May 26, Salcedo helped Tigres win the Clausura championship by beating León 1–0 in the final.
On December 22, 2020, Tigres won the CONCACAF Champions League. They defeated Los Angeles FC 2-1 in the final.
Later Career Clubs
On January 31, 2022, Salcedo returned to MLS, signing with Toronto FC. Six months later, he and Toronto FC agreed to end his contract so he could go back to Mexico for family reasons. Soon after, Salcedo joined Juárez.
On June 16, 2023, Cruz Azul signed Salcedo. On July 22, 2024, Cruz Azul and Salcedo decided to part ways. On August 4, Salcedo returned to Juárez.
On January 19, 2025, Monterrey announced that Salcedo had joined their team. On the same day, he got an injury during his first training session.
Carlos Salcedo's International Career
Playing for Mexico's Youth Teams
Carlos Salcedo was chosen by coach Raúl Gutiérrez to play in the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games. He played in four matches, and Mexico won the tournament.
On September 18, 2015, Salcedo was again selected by coach Raúl Gutiérrez for the 2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship. He was the team captain for this competition. He played in four matches, helping Mexico win the tournament and qualify for the Summer Olympics.
On July 7, 2016, Salcedo was named in Mexico's squad for the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He played in all three group stage matches, even scoring a goal in a 5–1 win against Fiji. However, Mexico did not advance past the group stage.
Playing for Mexico's Senior Team
Salcedo was called up to the senior national team by coach Miguel Herrera. On April 15, 2015, he made his debut in a friendly game against the United States, which Mexico lost 0–2. He was part of the team for the Copa América that year. He played one game on June 15, coming on as a substitute in a 3–3 draw against host-nation Chile.
On June 8, 2017, Salcedo was included in Mexico's squad for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. On June 21, during Mexico's second group stage match against New Zealand, Salcedo had to leave the game early. He got a shoulder injury after colliding with a player. He could not play for the rest of the tournament.
On March 27, 2018, during a friendly match against Croatia, he broke his left collarbone. This injury put his chance of playing in the 2018 FIFA World Cup at risk. However, Salcedo was still named in the final 23-man squad for the World Cup. He played in all group stage matches and in the round-of-16 loss against Brazil. After Mexico was eliminated, Salcedo thought about leaving the national team due to personal reasons. He was later called up for friendly games in September but had to withdraw because of an ankle injury.
On June 6, 2019, Salcedo was called up by coach Gerardo Martino for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. In the quarter-final match against Costa Rica, the game went to a penalty shootout after a 1–1 tie. Salcedo scored Mexico's winning penalty. Mexico went on to win the tournament by beating the United States 1–0 in the final. Salcedo was named in the competition's Best XI.
On September 30, 2020, he was the captain in a friendly match against Guatemala, which Mexico won 3–0. On November 14, Salcedo scored his first goal for the national team in a friendly match against South Korea, winning 3–2.
Carlos Salcedo's Playing Style
Carlos Salcedo is naturally a center-back. This means he plays in the middle of the defense. He has also played as a full-back, sometimes on the right side for the Mexican national team and on the left for Real Salt Lake.
He is known for being a good passer and a focused player. He likes to make long passes. Salcedo is also known for his well-timed slide tackles and his strength in defense. He is good at winning most aerial duels (when players jump to head the ball), which makes him a complete defender. People often call him "Titan" because of his strong physical presence and how quickly he recovers from injuries. He can also play even when he is a bit hurt.
In an interview, Salcedo said that moving to the MLS early in his career helped him improve his playing style. He felt that MLS games were more physical than in Mexico. Learning to handle a more direct style of play helped him combine it with the good technique he learned at Guadalajara and Tigres.
Personal Life
Carlos Salcedo comes from a family of football players. His father, Carlos Salcedo Snr, played for Atlas F.C. in Mexico. His great-grandfather played for C.D. Guadalajara and won a league title in Mexico. His great-uncle, Hugo Salcedo, played football for the U.S. at the 1972 Olympic Games. Carlos's first-cousin, once removed, Jorge Salcedo, also played for four teams in MLS between 1996 and 2000 and played for the United States national team.
Career Achievements
Club Trophies
- Guadalajara
- Copa MX: Apertura 2015
- Supercopa MX: 2016
- Eintracht Frankfurt
- DFB-Pokal: 2017–18
- Tigres UANL
- Liga MX: Clausura 2019
- CONCACAF Champions League: 2020
- Toronto FC
- Canadian Championship: 2020
International Trophies
- Mexico Youth
- Central American and Caribbean Games: 2014
- CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship: 2015
- Mexico
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2019
Individual Awards
- Liga MX Best XI: Clausura 2015, Clausura 2024
- CONCACAF Champions League Team of the Tournament: 2019
- CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI: 2019
- IFFHS CONCACAF Men's Best XI: 2020
- IFFHS CONCACAF Men's Team of the Decade: 2011–2020
- IFFHS CONCACAF Men's Team of All Time: 2021
See also
In Spanish: Carlos Salcedo para niños
