Richard Ledezma
Mexican footballer (born 2000)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richard Ledezma (born September 6, 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or right-back for Liga MX club Guadalajara.[2][3] Born in the United States, he represents the Mexico national team.[4]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 6 September 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
| Positions | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Guadalajara | ||
| Number | 37 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2016–2018 | Real Salt Lake | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2019 | Real Monarchs | 5 | (1) |
| 2019–2023 | Jong PSV | 47 | (7) |
| 2018–2025 | PSV | 40 | (2) |
| 2023 | → New York City FC (loan) | 23 | (0) |
| 2025– | Guadalajara | 21 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018–2019 | United States U20 | 5 | (0) |
| 2019 | United States U23 | 3 | (2) |
| 2020 | United States | 1 | (0) |
| 2026– | Mexico | 3 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23 January 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 28 March 2026 | |||
Club career
Early career
Ledezma grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, where he played youth soccer for Valparaiso United FC.[5] He made his professional debut for USL side Real Monarchs on April 11, 2018, as an 82nd-minute substitute in a 3–1 win over Seattle Sounders FC 2.[6] On June 4, he scored his first career goal for Real Monarchs, as part of a performance for which he was named to the USL Team of the Week.[7] On July 7, Ledezma was named the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Western Conference Player of the Year for the U-18/19 age group.[8]
PSV
On December 21, 2018, Ledezma left Salt Lake to sign for Dutch club PSV Eindhoven on a one-and-a-half-year deal.[9] On October 27, 2019, after his strong play for Jong PSV, Ledezma made PSV's senior squad for the first time for an Eredivisie match with AZ Alkmaar. On November 1, 2020, Ledezma made his PSV debut in the 74th minute and recorded an assist in a 4–0 win over ADO Den Haag.
On March 19, 2023, PSV announced that Ledezma had signed a contract extension with the club and would subsequently be loaned out.[10] On March 23, Ledezma was seen training with MLS club New York City FC[11] following months of rumors connecting him with the club.[12]
For the 2024–25 season he was back with PSV, starting in its first Champions League game, against Juventus.[13]
Guadalajara
On June 12, 2025, Ledezma signed with Mexican club Guadalajara on a free transfer.[14] Ledezma made his Liga MX debut on July 20 in a 1–0 loss to León.[15]
International career
United States youth and senior
Ledezma received his first international call-up from the United States under-19s in January 2018 and quickly advanced to the under-20 side.[16] He earned his first start for the United States under-20 side against the French under-21s, helping the United States to a 1–0 victory.[17]
On May 17, 2019, Ledezma revealed he was contacted by the Mexican Football Federation regarding switching to represent his ancestral Mexico. Ledezma did not close the door to representing either federation, but remained aligned with the United States for the time being.[18]
On June 4, 2019, in the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Ledezma recorded an assist in the United States's 3–2 victory over France in the Round of 16, as his through-ball in the 25th minute split Boubacar Kamara and Dan-Axel Zagadou setting up Sebastian Soto for the finish.
He received his first call-up to the senior United States squad for matches against Wales and Panama in November 2020.[19] On November 16, Ledezma made his senior national team debut against Panama when he came on as a substitute in the 68th minute and created two assists for goals by Sebastian Soto.[20]
Switch to Mexico national team
On November 23, 2025, Ledezma communicated his intention of applying for a one-time switch through FIFA in order to represent the Mexico national team.[21] On January 15, 2026, Mexico national team executives formally submitted their request for Ledezma’s international allegiance switch to FIFA,[22] which was approved on January 20.[23][24]
On January 22, Ledezma participated the full 90 plus minutes in a friendly match against Panama with Mexico taking the 1–0 win.[25] On 25 February 2026, Ledezma scores his first goal for Mexico in a friendly match against Iceland in the 22nd minute as Mexico took the 4–0 win.[26]
Personal life
Born in the United States, Ledezma is of Mexican descent, with his father being from Durango and his mother from Baja California.[27][28]
Career statistics
Club
- As of May 11, 2025[29]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Real Monarchs | 2018 | USL | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | |||
| Jong PSV | 2019–20 | Eerste Divisie | 25 | 4 | — | — | — | 25 | 4 | |||
| 2020–21 | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | 9 | 2 | |||||
| 2021–22 | 7 | 1 | — | — | — | 7 | 1 | |||||
| 2022–23 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 47 | 7 | — | — | — | 47 | 7 | |||||
| PSV | 2019–20 | Eredivisie | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | Eredivisie | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Eredivisie | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23 | Eredivisie | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Eredivisie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 | Eredivisie | 24 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 11[d] | 0 | — | 38 | 1 | ||
| Total | 40 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 62 | 2 | ||
| New York City FC (loan) | 2023 | MLS | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[e] | 0 | 27 | 0 | |
| Career total | 115 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 141 | 10 | ||
- Includes KNVB Cup, U.S. Open Cup
- Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
- Appearance in Johan Cruyff Shield
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearances in Leagues Cup
International
- As of March 28, 2026[30]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2020 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
| Mexico | 2026 | 3 | 1 |
| Total | 3 | 1 | |
| Career total | 4 | 1 | |
Scores and results list Mexico's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | February 25, 2026 | Estadio Corregidora, Querétaro, Mexico |  Iceland | 1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
Honors
PSV
Individual
- Eredivisie Team of the Month: August 2024,[33] December 2024[34]
- Liga MX Best XI: Clausura 2026[35]
- Liga MX All-Star: 2026[36]
