About
Miguel Arturo Layún Prado, born June 25 1988 in Córdoba, Veracruz, is a retired Mexican footballer best remembered for his versatility on the flanks. Over a 17‑year professional career he defended, attacked, crossed, and even took set‑pieces for clubs in Mexico, Italy, England, Spain and Portugal. Layún lifted league trophies with Club América, won the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup with El Tri, and in 2014 became a national hero after calmly converting the title‑deciding penalty in the fabled “¡Es el bueno!” Clausura final. He hung up his boots in December 2023 after helping América claim another Liga MX crown, announcing that it was time to “open new windows, not close doors.”
Retirement did not slow him down. Today, at 37, Layún splits his time between live streaming FIFA sessions to nearly 80 000 followers on Twitch, steering content‑creator side projects, and acting as President of Kings League Américas, the seven‑a‑side start‑up competition spearheaded by Gerard Piqué. In July 2025 he added another line to his résumé when he debuted as a guest “tiburón” on Season 10 of Shark Tank México, sinking a reported seven‑figure peso investment into a gourmet–cookie venture.
Before Fame
Football came early for Layún. He joined Querétaro’s academy at 15, polished his craft at Veracruz, and made his Liga debut in 2007. The son of Antonio Layún and María del Carmen Prado carries a multicultural heritage: his paternal grandfather Yousseff emigrated from Beit Milleit, Lebanon, while his maternal grandfather was Spanish, a blend that earned Miguel a Spanish passport and later endeared him to Lebanese fans who watched Mexico’s World Cup games just to cheer “Miguel, Miguel!”
A fearless 21‑year‑old, he accepted a move to Atalanta in 2009 and, in doing so, became the first Mexican to play in Serie A—even if his two brief appearances felt more like a footnote at the time. The experience, he later said, taught him resilience: “I learned how to adapt in days, not months.”
Trivia
- Four‑goal full‑back: In September 2014 Layún stunned pundits by scoring all four goals in América’s 4‑1 win over Santos Laguna, a rare haul for any defender.
- Digital native: Away from the pitch he is an avid gamer and co‑owns 19 Esports, frequently streaming on Twitch where his bio reads: “Presidente de la Kings League… streamer por hobby.”
- Health scare hero: Surgery for a kidney infection sidelined him from the 2019 Gold Cup, yet he returned two months later and reclaimed a spot with Monterrey.
- “Mr. 19”: The shirt number follows him almost everywhere—club kits, gamer tag, even his business branding—because 19 was the address of his childhood home.
- Versatile passport: Thanks to Spanish ancestry he holds dual Mexican–Spanish nationality, simplifying European transfers and allowing clubs to register him as an EU player.
Family Life
Layún’s off‑field anchor is his wife, lifestyle influencer Ana Laura Galván, whom he started dating in 2010 and married two years later in Tampico. Together they raise three children—Marcelo, Mateo and José María—whose adventures periodically surface on the couple’s Instagram feeds from school drop‑offs to match‑day hugs at the Estadio Azteca. Galván, a keen traveller, calls their household “un equipo de cinco.”
Rooted though he is in Mexico City today, Miguel keeps close ties to relatives in Lebanon and maintains a playful rivalry with second cousin and fellow right‑back José Abella when their clubs cross paths.
Associated With
On the field Layún shared dressing rooms with notable Mexican talents: he and Diego Reyes rose through América’s ranks and later patrolled Mexico’s defence side‑by‑side. He also linked up with Javier “Chicharito” Hernández in Kings League promotional events, the duo lending star power to the fledgling competition.
In business he now sits at the Shark Tank México deal table alongside entrepreneurs like Rodrigo Herrera and Marcus Dantus, bringing a “locker‑room mindset” to start‑up negotiations. Layún credits retired legends such as Gerard Piqué for showing athletes how to pivot gracefully from sport to entrepreneurship—a journey he is eager to continue writing, one stream, one start‑up, and one small‑sided match at a time.
