Xolos de Tijuana made official the addition of Yael Padilla as a reinforcement for the Apertura 2026, bringing in a young attacking midfielder who arrives from Chivas with a record that already includes goals in Liga MX. The move puts Padilla on the Tijuana project led by Sebastián Abreu and gives the club an offensive option with first-division experience.
The announcement is landing now because Padilla is not an unknown name on the market. He finished his entire development in Chivas’ youth system, reached the first team, and debuted at 17 years old in jornada 1 of the Apertura 2023 against Club León, where he also scored in his professional debut. That goal made him the youngest player to score on his first appearance in the first division with Chivas.
His numbers with Chivas help explain why Tijuana moved for him. Padilla scored 8 goals with the first team, a return that stands out for a player still early in his career and known for offensive qualities. He also already spent much of the preseason with Xolos, which helped make his incorporation feel less like a surprise and more like a step that had been building for weeks.
There is, though, a detail that gives the move a sharper edge. Padilla’s last goal for Chivas came on 13 January 2026 against Bravos de Juárez, and it came in a 0-1 win. That makes the timing of his exit feel even more abrupt for a player who had been presented as one of the club’s promising homegrown talents.
Padilla also arrives with youth national-team background, including participation with the Selección Mexicana in youth categories and at the Copa del Mundo Sub-20 Chile 2025. What remains unclear is the exact form of the deal — transfer, loan or another type of agreement — but the sporting message is already set: Xolos are betting on a player who has already shown he can score, and Chivas are parting with one of the names they built from the ground up.
