The Curious Case of Santiago Gimenez—From Mexico’s Future to AC Milan Cast Away

Mexican striker Santiago Giménez is reportedly close to finalizing a move that will see him join Portuguese side FC Porto on loan, putting an end to his unremarkable season-and-a-half stint with AC Milan.

Porto struck a verbal agreement with Milan to land the Mexico international on loan for the 2026–27 season, per Fabrizio Romano. The deal includes a buy option for the Portuguese champions worth $20.8 million (€18 million) that would become mandatory if certain milestones are met.

Giménez traveled to Portugal on Sunday to complete the loan move, one day after he was in the stands as AC Milan collected their second win of the season.

Just a little over 18 months after the Italian giants spent $36 million to acquire him from Feyenoord in one of the most high-profile transfers involving a Mexico international in years, the 25-year-old striker is on his way out through the San Siro’s back door.

How did it all go wrong so fast?

What Went Wrong For Giménez at AC Milan?

Ruben Amorim separated Santiago Gimenez from Milan’s first team in recent weeks. | Claudio Villa/AC Milan/Getty Images

Giménez’s Milan exit has been in the works for months, with reports linking him with a departure from the club going back as far as the January transfer window. But with Gonçalo Ramos joining the club as Milan’s record-transfer this summer and Ruben Amorim trusting 18-year-old academy graduate Francesco Camarda as his backup, the writing was on the wall for Giménez’s exit.

Amorim separated Giménez from Milan’s first team training and revealed he’d only be reintegrated if he failed to secure a move before the end of the window. “El Bebote” was stripped of his jersey number and wasn’t registered to play in Serie A.

It’s clear that Giménez was no longer a part of Milan’s plans and him leaving was in the best interest of all parties involved. But what were the reasons for his rapid demise with the Rossoneri?

A Dreadful Goal Drought

The Mexican joined AC Milan on Deadline Day in Jan. 2025 after netting 16 goals for Feyenoord in the first half of the 2024–25 season, a continuation of his 26-goal campaign in 2023–24. He bagged a total of 65 goals in 105 games throughout his career in the Netherlands.

Milan thought they were signing one of Europe’s most promising young strikers, and the then-23-year-old responded instantly, scoring three goals and grabbing an assist in his first five games for Milan—making Champions League history in the process. But the promising start was fool’s gold, and his form fell off cliff ever since.

Giménez went on to play a further 14 games for Milan in 2024–25, scoring just three goals the rest of the season. Massimiliano Allegri took over as the club’s manager last summer and Giménez started the 2025–26 season as the club’s primary center forward, a perfect chance to prove his worth in his first full season at the club.

But things quickly went south for the Mexican, who featured in Milan’s first nine Serie A games of the term—starting eight of them—but failed to find the back of the net even once. His strike against Lecce in the Coppa Italia on Sept. 23, 2025 remains his last goal donning Milan’s shirt.

With Giménez immersed in the longest goal-drought of his European career, things couldn’t seem to get much worse. But they did.

Major Ankle Injuries

The struggling Mexican revealed he’d been playing through ankle pain “for various months” until the discomfort became too much to handle back in Oct. 2025. Initially, Giménez underwent conservative treatment and Allegri indicated he’d miss around five weeks. It wasn’t five weeks, but rather five months.

After weeks of ineffective treatment, Giménez had no choice but to undergo surgery in mid-December to fix the nagging ankle issue. The hope was that he’d be back in six to eight weeks, but he didn’t return to the pitch until late March.

Although he failed to score in the seven games he featured in before the end of the season, Giménez was still part of Mexico’s 2026 World Cup roster. The striker looked out of confidence and far from top-form during his four appearances for El Tri this summer, but worst of all, he suffered yet another injury to his surgically repaired ankle late in Mexico’s tournament-ending defeat against England.

A high-ankle sprain forced him to spend much of the summer recovering from injury, unable to make his case with incoming manager Amorim to try and rescue his career in Milan. Once he returned to full fitness, Ramos had already arrived and the Portuguese manager had discarded the Mexico international.

Between a nightmare run of form and devastating injuries, Giménez will leave the iconic Italian club having scored seven goals in 37 games, six of them coming during his first four months with the team.

Santiago Giménez in Desperate Need of Redemption

There’s no other way of putting it: Giménez’s future in Europe depends on how he performs during his loan spell with Porto.

The Mexican will compete with experienced striker and fellow former AC Milan frontman André Silva for the starting center forward spot, and must hit the ground running upon arrival. He’ll also benefit from playing Champions League soccer, something he wouldn’t have been able to had he stayed in Milan.

“I’m ready,” Giménez said at the airport before leaving for Portugal. “Excited and happy because this is a new opportunity.”

Opportunities in Europe won’t keep presenting themselves if his time with Porto goes similar to his Milan tenure. If the Cruz Azul academy graduate doesn’t deliver during his loan, then there’s a high chance he becomes the latest in the growing list of Mexico internationals that return to Liga MX—or MLS—after fizzling out in Europe.

But at Porto, Giménez will have every opportunity to rediscover the form that made him one of the best strikers in the Eredivisie not long ago. He’s far from a veteran; at 25, there’s still enough time for him to correct course and enjoy a successful career in Europe. Plus playing at the Portuguese Primeira Liga should be a more favorable environment than the tougher Serie A.

Giménez’s Milan tenure was a failure, but that doesn’t mean his career in Europe can’t recover. Ultimately, redemption will be up to him.

Add us as a preferred source on Google