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Mexico forward Hormiga Gonzalez joins Olympiacos from Chivas

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Chivas forward Armando “Hormiga” Gonzalez is moving to Greek club Olympiacos, the teams announced Saturday, Aug. 22.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but reports in both countries indicate Olympiacos paid $12 million, with Chivas retaining 20% of a potential future sale to another club.

Gonzalez had a $15 million release clause, but Chivas were open to selling the 23-year-old as long as they retained a portion of the sell-on clause, meaning they get a percentage of the sale if Gonzalez moves to another club from Olympiacos.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, because Chivas was my home for more than eight years. I grew up there since I was 15 years old. It was a tough decision, but I knew I had to take this opportunity,” Gonzalez said in a video published by the Greek club. “I’m thankful to Amaury (Vergara, Chivas) president, who gave me the chance to come here, for everything he’s done, giving me the chance to come here and achieve one of my dreams.”

The forward tied for the Liga MX lead in scoring with a dozen goals in the 2025 Apertura and scored another 12 for Chivas in the Clausura before joining the Mexico national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Despite the match taking place in the home of his club’s biggest rival, fans chanted Gonzalez’s name at the opening match of El Tri’s World Cup campaign, with manager Javier Aguirre putting Gonzalez in for a 14-minute cameo at the end of the 2-0 win over South Africa.

Those would be his only minutes of the tournament, but Gonzalez is expected to play a large role in the plans of new manager Rafa Marquez as Mexico finds a replacement for 35-year-old forward Raul Jimenez.

That’s especially true now that Gonzalez is making the move across the Atlantic, challenging himself against better competition and, ideally, earning a move to one of Europe’s top-five leagues with his play in Greece.

While the Greek giants missed out on the league phase of the UEFA Champions League, falling against Dutch club NEC Nijmegen in a two-legged third qualifying round series, they will take part in the UEFA Europa League.

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