Recent comments from Tricolor boss Juan Carlos Osorio in regards to capping Alan Pulido have given the Olympiakos striker false hope that he could once again be part of the Mexican national team.
In an interview with Mexican rag Record Osorio claimed that “the main thing is that Alan is a very good player that can contribute to the national team. Hopefully he can finish his lawsuit so that he can begin competing against the very good striker options we have.”
Pulido, however, is considered persona non grata by the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) after abandoning Tigres to join Greek side Levadiakos on a free transfer. The 25 year old striker, a product of Tigres youth system, abandoned the club after the 2014 FIFA World Cup claiming that his contract had come to an end.
The contract dispute was taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport which ruled in favor of Tigres. Still, Pulido was adamant to stay in Europe and thus opted to sign for Levadiakos despite his ongoing contract dispute. Since then the player has been left out of every Mexico national team call-up.
“I expect that the problem I had with Tigres does not halt a call-up because I feel that I deserve an opportunity to demonstrate the level I am in. The truth I remain hopeful to once again be able to wear the national team jersey,” Pulido told AS Mexico after hearing Osorio’s comments.
“I am very happy, I have achieved important things in Europe. I have been in the bench for Champions League games, participated in Europa League and now I have a league championship. I started the beginning of this year the best way possible by scoring goals and I feel that I am in good rhythm and in a great condition to be part of the national team,” continued the Olympiakos striker.
“Obviously, I feel more prepared to return to the national team. I feel my level of play has improved and I believe that I have scored important goals in Greece. Hopefully I can get a call-up and there won’t be any obstacles from the Mexican Football Federation. I am ready to return and demonstrate my level.”
With FMF being made up of Liga MX owners it is highly unlikely that they will allow the player to return given the form he left which could set an unwanted precedent. For Pulido to be welcomed back to the Tricolor then Tigres would have to recoup their investment. The player was valued at around $10M dollars by the club.