Orbelín Pineda Alvarado

Orbelín Pineda arrived at AEK Athens in the summer of 2022 on a season-long loan from Celta Vigo, following the manager Matías Almeyda. The loan was made permanent the following year for a fee of €6.5 million. AEK won the Greek Super League and the Greek Cup in the 2022–23 season, and Pineda was named the league's Player of the Season as well as its Best Foreign Player. He repeated the individual award in 2026, the same year AEK won a second Super League title.

Before Greece, Pineda had built his career entirely in Mexico. He made his debut at Querétaro in 2014 before a move to Guadalajara in December 2015. A $12 million transfer took him to Cruz Azul in December 2018, where he added the Guardianes 2021 title, a Supercopa MX and a Leagues Cup before a brief spell at Celta Vigo preceded his move to Athens.

With the Mexico national team, Pineda has been capped 94 times and scored 12 goals. He has been part of three CONCACAF Gold Cup-winning squads, in 2019, 2023 and 2025, and won the CONCACAF Nations League in 2024–25, having also finished runner-up in the Gold Cup in 2021 and in the Nations League in 2021 and 2024. In July 2026, Pineda left AEK for Monterrey in an €8 million deal, triggered by his release clause.