Vazquez, who emerged from the famed Barca youth scheme before joining Club Bruges in 2011, has arrived in Mexico for a medical before signing for the “Blue Machine” on Friday.
The 28-year-old Catalan midfielder, Belgian player of the year in 2015, is not ready for his debut and will watch from the stands when Cruz Azul, who won their eighth title in 1997, kick off the Liga MX Clausura championship at Morelia on Saturday.
“I’m (nearly) ready... The only thing I need to adapt to is the altitude,” Vazquez said on arrival at Mexico City, which is 2,200 metres above sea level.
“I know the team have spent 18 years without being champions and that’s what I’m coming here for, to be a champion,” Vazquez was quoted as saying by the daily Record (www.record.com.mx).
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Cruz Azul are hoping the rare signing of a European player will have a similar impact in the Apertura to that of French striker Andre-Pierre Gignac at UANL Tigres.
Gignac top-scored with 15 goals in 21 matches as Tigres won their fourth title in December. They begin the defence of their crown at Toluca on Sunday.
The pair are among a huge number of foreign players in the Mexican top flight, the vast majority from South America.
A big concern for some clubs is the growing number of players taking out Mexican citizenship within two years of arriving in the country and so vacating a foreign-player berth.
Teams can field five foreigners at any one time but the richer clubs counting several naturalised players on their books could at times put out a side devoid of Mexican-born players.
The Mexican Football Federation, concerned this may be affecting the national team, is planning to look at clubs’ complaints at a meeting at the end of the season in May to consider changing the eligibility rules.
(Reporting by Carlos Calvo; Writing by Rex Gowar, editing by Ed Osmond)
