Paxon Ruffin didn't need long to make an impression. The 16-year-old came off the bench in the 77th minute of Monterrey's 2-1 win over Pachuca on Oct. 18, replacing Jesús "Tecatito" Corona, and became the youngest player to debut for Rayados in Liga MX's short-tournament era.
Seven minutes later he almost had an assist. Back to goal on the left, he turned and slipped Hugo Cuypers in one-on-one. Cuypers missed, and VAR flagged the run offside anyway, but the moment showed why Monterrey trusted him.
The record
Ruffin was 16 years, 8 months and 21 days old. The previous mark belonged to Misael Domínguez, who was 16 years, 9 months and 8 days old when he played against Don Bosco in the Concacaf Champions League in August 2016.
The American angle
Ruffin was born in Florida on Jan. 28, 2010, and holds both U.S. and Mexican nationality. That makes him part of the class of 2010.
So far his youth international career has been mostly with Mexico. He won the 2025 Concacaf U-15 Championship with Mexico, scoring against Honduras, Costa Rica and the United States, and later went to the Montaigu tournament in France with Mexico's U-16s. ClaroSports also reports that he has been called up by the U.S. U-17s.
Youth appearances don't lock a player to one country. Only senior competitive matches do, so both federations will be watching.
If he wants to be a footballer, he has to be prepared. This kid is prepared.
Almeyda said he asked Ruffin "to enjoy the moment" and hopes he follows the path of Lucas Ocampos, who also debuted at 16 under Almeyda.
