Marcel Alejandro Ruiz Suárez (born 26 October 2000) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga MX club Toluca and the Mexico national team.
Ruiz was born in Mérida, Yucatán, to a Mexican father and a Cuban mother. He moved with his family to Querétaro, Querétaro at the age of four. There, he began playing football at a young age and joined a local soccer school named River Plate, inspired by the Argentine club of the same name. His mother, a former gymnast, encouraged his early involvement in sports, enrolling him in karate and tennis before he began focusing more seriously on football. The academy would later become affiliated with Toluca Premier. With Toluca, Ruiz would compete in the Danone Nations Cup and the Liga Premier de México.
His early performances eventually led to his recruitment into the youth system of Querétaro.
A product of the youth Querétaro team, Ruiz would make his senior debut in Liga MX on 21 July 2018 against Atlas, coming in at the 86th minute for ErbÃÂn Trejo, finishing the game in a 0âÂÂ0 tie. On 22 August 2018, he would score his first goal for the team, winning the game against Club Universidad Nacional 1âÂÂ0, becoming the youngest scorer of the season at the age of 17. On 31 August 2018, he contributed two assists for Camilo Sanvezzo to score the first two goals against Morelia, winning 4âÂÂ1.
In July 2020, Ruiz signed with Club Tijuana after the clubâÂÂs owners, Grupo Caliente, sold Querétaro and transferred several of that teamâÂÂs players â including the 19-year-old Ruiz â to Tijuana. Ruiz made his debut for Tijuana in the Apertura 2020 and gradually became a regular squad member. Under new Tijuana coach Pablo Guede, RuizâÂÂs role evolved from the attacking midfielder position he had played at Querétaro to a deeper playmaking role in central midfield. Often paired with fellow ex-Querétaro teammate Jordi Cortizo, he operated as a deep-lying midfielder with responsibilities in building up attacks and distributing the ball, while also contributing defensively. GuedeâÂÂs more progressive system relied on RuizâÂÂs vision and press-resistant passing to link play between defense and attack.
Ruiz' impact with Tijuana was modest. Over two years with Xolos, he made 50 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals and providing two assists. Notably, he scored his first goal for Tijuana on 25 February 2022, opening the scoring with a deflected shot in a 2âÂÂ0 victory over reigning champions Atlas â a goal that also marked his first in Liga MX as a Xolos player. Despite some opportunities in the starting lineup, RuizâÂÂs overall contributions remained limited, and he did not replicate the prolific form of his early Querétaro days. By the Clausura 2021, he was struggling to secure playing time, featuring only 46 minutes in the first three matches, and he acknowledged the need to improve to earn a spot in the starting XI under coach Guede.
In June 2022, Ruiz joined Toluca in an exchange that saw Alexis Canelo join Tijuana. Coach Ignacio AmbrÃÂz had specifically requested Ruiz as part of an ambitious squad rebuild for the Apertura 2022, seeing the young midfielder as a key reinforcement. The transfer was viewed as a fresh start for Ruiz after a challenging spell in Tijuana, and it indeed preceded a resurgence in his form with Toluca in subsequent seasons.
Ruiz helped Toluca win the Clausura 2025 championship after defeating América in the finals with an aggregate score of 2âÂÂ0, their first title in 15 years. During the Apertura 2025 season, RuÃÂz was designated as TolucaâÂÂs vice-captain, regularly assuming the armband in matches when senior players such as Alexis Vega and Paulinho were not on the field.
On 11 March 2026, during a 3âÂÂ2 loss against San Diego FC in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, Ruiz suffered a torn ACL, requiring surgery and an extended recovery period, effectively ruling him out of the World Cup set to be hosted on home soil. RuizâÂÂs injury came one day after fellow national team player Luis Malagón ruptured his left Achilles tendon, which will also rule him out of the World Cup.
Ruiz was called up by Diego RamÃÂrez to the under-20 team to participate in a training camp ahead of the 2018 CONCACAF U-20 Championship and matches against Brazil and Japan. However, he did not make the final tournament squad, and ultimately earned only two caps at the under-20 level.
Ruiz was called up by Jaime Lozano to participate with the under-22 team at the 2019 Toulon Tournament, where Mexico finished in third. He was called up by Lozano again to participate at the 2019 Pan American Games, with Mexico winning the third-place match.
In March 2023, Ruiz was called up by manager Diego Cocca for the 2022âÂÂ23 CONCACAF Nations League, and made his senior national team debut on 23 March 2023, in a 2âÂÂ0 victory against Suriname.
Prior to that first senior callâÂÂup, a rumor circulated widely in Guatemalan sports outlets during Marchâ¯2022 suggesting that Ruiz possessed Guatemalan ancestry and was being evaluated by coach Luisâ¯Fernandoâ¯Tena for a potential switch of allegiance. The National Football Federation of Guatemala issued a brief clarification that no eligibility process had been initiated, and Ruiz himself denied the story in multiple interviews, noting that his family background is Mexican with Cuban roots.
RuÃÂz has cited Andrés Iniesta and the Barcelona side of Pep Guardiola as formative influences, describing their tiki-taka era of 2008âÂÂ2012, particularly the 2010âÂÂ11 team, as "the best team in history." This admiration for BarcelonaâÂÂs possession-based style has shaped his own preference for composure, short passing, and spatial awareness in midfield.
RuÃÂz is most often deployed as a central or defensive midfielder and is noted for combining defensive solidity with precise distribution and tactical intelligence. This balance allows him to perform effectively in both holding and boxâÂÂtoâÂÂbox roles, and his consistent execution and positional awareness have earned him a reputation as one of the most reliable midfielders in Ligaâ¯MX. Defensively, RuÃÂz excels at reading the game and interrupting opposition attacks. He ranks among the leagueâÂÂs leaders in duels won per 90 minutes and shields the back line particularly well when Toluca operate with a double pivot. In possession he favors simple, progressive combinations and usually completes more than 85% of roughly 50 passes per match. He can also launch transitions with lineâÂÂbreaking balls or wide switches under pressure. Observers often refer to him as a âÂÂmidfield engine,â praising his composure, spatial awareness, and ability to control tempo from deeper areas. While not a prolific goalâÂÂscorer, RuÃÂz makes a significant creative contribution, displaying sharp timing and vision in the final third and being comfortable finding runners from deep and exploiting wide spaces.
Toluca
Mexico U23
Mexico
Individual