Most footballers who leave Argentina for Mexico see it as a stepping stone—earn some money, gain experience, maybe move to Europe. Germán Berterame flipped that script entirely. He went to Mexico, fell in love with the country, got his daughters born there, became a citizen, and now represents Mexico internationally while scoring goals at a rate that makes him one of Liga MX’s most consistent forwards.
His journey from Villa María, a city of 80,000 in Córdoba province, to becoming Monterrey’s main striker and a Mexican international wasn’t straightforward. It involved failed attempts at San Lorenzo, loans nobody remembers, and the kind of career restart that requires swallowing pride and rebuilding from scratch.
The San Lorenzo Years That Didn’t Work
Born November 13, 1998, in Villa María, he came through San Lorenzo’s youth system in Buenos Aires. Making your professional debut at 17 in a Copa Libertadores match sounds impressive until you realize it led nowhere. One appearance against L.D.U. Quito in April 2016, then mostly sitting on benches for two years.
By 2018-19, he’d managed just 12 appearances for San Lorenzo across three seasons. The club loaned him to Patronato in January 2019. He scored three goals in 10 games—decent but not enough to earn a permanent move or convince San Lorenzo to give him another chance.
At 20, his Argentine career was stalling. That’s when Mexican football entered the picture, offering what Argentina couldn’t: consistent playing time.
Finding a Home at Atlético San Luis
In July 2019, Atlético San Luis paid a small fee to bring him to Liga MX. San Luis isn’t a glamorous destination—it’s a mid-table team in a city better known for mining than football. But they gave him what he needed: minutes.
Over three years there, he played 90 games and scored 31 goals. Those aren’t spectacular numbers, but they’re solid. More importantly, he learned Mexican football’s rhythms, adapted to altitude and heat, and showed he could score consistently against Liga MX defenders.
The 2021-22 Apertura tournament became his breakout. He finished joint top scorer with nine goals alongside Nicolás López. Scouts noticed. According to Transfermarkt, Atlético Madrid signed him on a free transfer in June 2022.
That should have been his European dream realized. It lasted three weeks.
The Atlético Madrid Detour Nobody Talks About
He signed with Atlético Madrid in June 2022 but never played a single minute. Three weeks later, Monterrey paid €8 million to bring him back to Mexico. The Spanish club made a quick profit on a player they never actually wanted—just smart business exploiting transfer market inefficiencies.
For him, it meant accepting that Europe wasn’t happening yet, maybe ever. Monterrey offered something better: a starting role at one of Liga MX’s biggest clubs with ambitions beyond domestic success.
Becoming Monterrey’s Main Man
Since joining Monterrey in July 2022, he’s made approximately 150 appearances across all competitions and scored 64 goals. That’s better than one goal every 2.3 games—elite production for a center-forward.
His best tournament came in the 2023 Leagues Cup, where he finished as top scorer with five goals, including a hat-trick in a 4-2 comeback against Seattle Sounders. At the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, he scored a brace against Japan’s Urawa Reds in a 4-0 win, helping Monterrey reach the Round of 16.
As of the 2025-26 Liga MX season, he’s scored 10 goals in 19 matches. According to his official Monterrey profile, his contract runs through December 31, 2027, after being extended in November 2024.
Choosing Mexico Over Argentina
In 2024, he made a decision that raised eyebrows back in Argentina: he obtained Mexican citizenship and declared his intention to represent Mexico internationally, not Argentina.
His reasoning was straightforward. His two daughters—Lía, born in June 2020, and a younger sister—were both born in Mexico, making them Mexican citizens. His wife Micaela “Miqa” Roldán, a field hockey player he’s been with since they were 14, supported the move.
“Mexico gave me everything,” he explained in interviews. He’d lived there since 2019, built his career there, raised his family there. Representing the country felt natural, not opportunistic.
FIFA’s rules allowed the switch since he’d only played for Argentina at U-17 level, never the senior team. Mexico’s sporting director Duilio Davino personally reached out, emphasizing his potential value ahead of the 2026 World Cup that Mexico will co-host.
He made his Mexico debut in September 2024 in a friendly against the United States. As of January 2026, he has six caps and one goal for El Tri.
Personal Life Between Two Countries
He met Micaela Roldán at 14 while both were involved in youth sports at Club Atlético San Lorenzo in Argentina. She played field hockey; he played football. They’ve been together through his entire professional journey.
In June 2025, during the FIFA Club World Cup, Roldán sparked controversy by posting an image of a custom jersey split between River Plate (her childhood club) and Monterrey ahead of their matchup. Fans from both sides criticized it. She responded publicly: “The idea is to unite us.”
That incident showed the complicated identity space they occupy—Argentine by birth and cultural upbringing, Mexican by choice and citizenship, trying to honor both without offending either.
How He Plays
At 1.76 meters (5’9″), he’s not particularly tall for a center-forward. What he lacks in aerial dominance, he compensates with movement, positioning, and clinical finishing.
He averages around 3 shots per match with about 50% on target. His expected goals (xG) metrics consistently run high, indicating he gets into dangerous positions regularly. He’s right-footed but comfortable finishing with both feet and his head.
His versatility matters—he can play as a traditional number nine, drift wide to the right, or drop deeper to link play. Monterrey’s tactical system emphasizes quick transitions and counterattacks, which suits his style perfectly.
What Comes Next
At 27, he’s entering his prime years as a striker. His contract runs through 2027, meaning Monterrey controls his future unless a significant transfer offer arrives.
Europe remains a possibility. Mexican league top scorers sometimes attract interest from mid-tier Spanish, Portuguese, or Italian clubs. But at this point, would moving make sense? He’s established, his family is settled, and Mexico’s 2026 World Cup gives him a clear international goal.
His legacy in Liga MX is already secure—over 70 league goals since 2019 makes him one of the division’s most productive imports of the past decade. Whether he becomes a Mexican football legend or simply a very good import who chose to stay depends on what happens over the next few years.
For now, he’s scoring goals for Monterrey, raising his daughters in Mexico, and representing a country that wasn’t his by birth but became his by choice. That’s a career path nobody could have predicted when he was sitting on San Lorenzo’s bench as a frustrated teenager dreaming of Europe.
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