NEWS

Meet MLR’s First Mexican Player – Alejandro Pradillo

Written By Joe Harvey

Alejandro Pradillo says it is a “dream come true” to have become Major League Rugby’s first Mexican player.

Capped at the international level in 15s and 7s, signing his deal at Snapdragon Stadium is the culmination of a 19-year dream for the versatile front-row forward.

Joining John Manenti’s team alongside a string of impressive signings by the California club, the prop is hoping to make an impact in his first season of professional rugby. 

Over the years, the 32-year-old has traveled to South Africa and New Zealand to progress in his game.

Now about to start preparations for his first season with the Legion, Pradillo was brimming with joy to be calling San Diego home in 2025.

“It is a dream come true for me,” he said. “It is something I have been looking for since I started playing rugby at 13.

“For a moment, I thought it wasn’t going to be possible. But now, the dream has come true, and I am really excited to be part of the San Diego Legion family.

“This team is my family, and they have opened doors for me. I am excited to be part of the San Diego Legion family and represent the values of the team.”

INSPIRED IN MEXICO CITY

It is a rugby journey that started at Greengates School.

Based outside of Mexico City, Pradillo was inspired to first pick up a rugby ball by the head of physical education, Jamie Johnston.

Coach of the Mexico national team, the Englishman had previously worked with the Kenya national team and hoped to spark new interest in the sport by introducing it at the British international school.

“From the first training, the way he explained rugby and the passion and love he showed to rugby, it fully impacted me,” Pradillo said.

“I absorbed the passion he expressed, and when I grabbed the ball, started to run with it, and hit that first player, it was what I loved.”

Performances for Greengates and his club side, Wallabies RFC, soon warranted a call-up to Mexico’s age-grade teams.

Winning age grade and senior caps in his teenage years, Pradillo’s drive to compete at the highest level never wavered.

When rugby was reintroduced as an Olympic sport, he turned his attention to the shortened format of the game. He undertook a grueling regime in order to represent Mexico at the 2011 Pan-American Games in Guadalajara.

After converting back to a prop, Pradillo has seen numerous opportunities come his way in the past two years.

This has included the opportunity to play for the San Clemente Rhinos in the 2023 Mzansi Challenge in South Africa as part of a partnership between the Southern California Rugby Academy and the Mexican Rugby Federation.

One of four Mexico internationals selected to represent their nation in South Africa, the 32-year-old was instrumental in the team’s sixth-place finish.

That time in South Africa would also provide the foundations for Pradillo’s next adventure.

After forging a friendship with New Zealand players Jack Gray and Angus Fletcher, the prop was invited to New Zealand, where he was a regular on both sides of the scrum for Kahurangi Rugby as they won the Division 1 Tasman Trophy this year.

Those outings also warranted the front-row with the opportunity to train in Tasman Mako’s high-performance environment as the senior men’s team began their third-place finish in the Bunnings NPC.

COACH CORBISIERO

Impressing Alex Corbisiero certainly went a long way to Pradillo securing a contract with San Diego.

For the past two seasons, the Scrum coach at Snapdragon Stadium, Corbisiero, knows what it takes to compete at the highest level.

Winning 31 caps for England and earning two caps for the British & Irish Lions in 2013, the 36-year-old has called the shots at the set-piece for the past two seasons.

Turning up to Pradillo’s second time training with the Legion Centurions, San Diego’s senior development team, senior coaches got a real flavor of what the Mexico international can offer in 2025.

“We went into scrum practice,” Pradillo recalled. “One versus one, two versus two, three versus three, and eight versus eight.

“Coach Jack Wiggins (defense coach and academy director) was actually playing hooker, and I was at tighthead with the passion and motivation of Alex driving the scrums and shouting at us to work hard. I had to show him that.

“I went into the first scrum against the first team, which was massive compared to the team we had, and in the first scrum, they barely moved us.

“Coach Alex said he didn’t expect that from us. So I had to show him that I know the dark arts of scrummaging.

“We went into the second scrum, the loosehead opened up a bit, I felt the gap and I went for it.

“The scrum totally collapsed, and Alex said it was beautiful. He was so excited about it.

“Coach Wiggins was also telling me it was all on me, and that was the turning point. They have continued to give me motivation since then.”

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION

Ahead of the 2025 season, Pradillo is going to spend time with family back in Mexico after an extended period of time away.

A chance to reflect on his achievements, it will also be a chance for the 32-year-old to remind himself of the rugby community he comes from and inspire others to follow in his footsteps.

“I had a dream to become a professional rugby player since I first started playing,” he said.

“In the last five years, I had the desire to become a professional player and motivate other Mexican rugby players.

“I think the level of rugby in Mexico has dropped down a bit because there was no motivation to continue playing rugby.

“People I grew up with who were really good players, but it wasn’t going to take them anywhere. So they gave up and went to university.

“I have shown it is possible, and I am 100 percent sure that young Mexican players will have the desire to continue.”

Pradillo jokes that he will have to start practicing for the Bronco test ahead of preseason now.

While there are still several weeks before the Legion squad gathers for MLR’s eighth season, the fire within the 32-year-old to succeed is apparent.

So much so that when asked about his enthusiasm for 2025, he is rendered almost speechless.

“You ask that question, and my mind becomes blank,” he exclaimed. “I am just speechless.

“I am stoked. I am really excited, and I need to continue working hard for the season.

“I know the day the coach wants me to debut I am going to give it all for the San Diego Legion family and Mexico rugby. It is because of Mexico rugby that I am here right now.”