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Who is Gilberto Mora? Mexico’s teenage star poised to break a 95-year World Cup record
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- Who is Gilberto Mora? Mexico’s teenage star poised to break a 95-year World Cup record
Editor's note: Follow Mexico vs. South Africa live updates and highlights from the 2026 World Cup opener .
MEXICO CITY — Mexico striker Santiago Giménez was the last one to get on the team bus one day during the 2025 Gold Cup. He glanced around both sides of the aisle as he walked toward the back and saw his teammates doing what they usually do: joking around with each other, scrolling on Instagram and TikTok.
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But then he looked at 16-year-old Gilberto Mora reading a book.
"That's when I said, 'This guy is different,'" Giménez said on Instagram . "Small details, but those are the ones that honestly make the difference."
A year later, Mora is about to break a record that has stood for almost a century. Mora will become the youngest player to ever represent El Tri in a World Cup game at 17 years and 239 days old, surpassing Manuel "El Chaquetas" Rosas, who played for Mexico at 18 years and 88 days old in 1930.
And, Mora has the opportunity to do so in his country.
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"It's a dream for me, being able to play soccer, which is what I love doing most," Mora told reporters after his training session on Tuesday. "And now, representing your country in a World Cup is something beautiful. It's a source of pride to be here, and every day we carry that motivation and that dream of having a great World Cup.
"I think we all share that dream and that motivation to lift the trophy."
Don't be surprised if Mora makes his historic debut in the Starting XI, either. The teenager is already the youngest goal scorer in Liga MX history, and at 16 he became the youngest to ever win an international trophy, breaking the records of Lamine Yamal (16, Euro 2024) and Pelé (17, 1958 World Cup). The attacking midfielder plays quick, but it's the maturity to his decision-making with the ball that sets him apart and has drawn interest from major European clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City and AC Milan.
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But Mora's not going anywhere, for now at least. On Tuesday night, Club Tijuana announced its homegrown phenom signed a historic three-year contract extension and will wear the No. 10 shirt for Los Xolos next season.
The contract includes a highly personalized and structured release clause created jointly between Mora, his agent Rafaela Pimenta and Club Tijuana.
"The structure reflects a shared vision for Gilberto's future," the statement said. "And recognizes as much his extraordinary potential as his preparation to compete at the highest level of football in the world."
"I'm very grateful to Club Tijuana," Mora said in the statement. "This club has helped me so much to grow as a player and as a person. This motivates me even more to keep working hard and getting better every day. Right now, my focus is on helping the team and giving everything for Mexico in this World Cup."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Gilberto Mora? Mexico's teen phenom set for World Cup history
