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Gilberto Mora staying present through historic World Cup run with Mexico
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- Gilberto Mora staying present through historic World Cup run with Mexico
MEXICO CITY — Estadio Azteca swelled with anticipation when Gilberto Mora stood on the sideline in the 65th minute of Mexico 's 2026 World Cup opener against South Africa on June 11. The excited rumbles turned into roars when the 17-year-old bowed his head, did a sign of the cross, dapped up the outgoing Brian Gutiérrez and ran onto the pitch.
" Mo-ra! Mo-ra! Mo-ra! " the electric crowd in Mexico City chanted.
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"Truthfully, I feel really happy, really content to be able to debut in a World Cup," Mora said in Spanish before Mexico's 1-0 win against South Korea . "I felt good throughout the match, really happy that I got those minutes the other day."
Mora made history as the youngest player to ever represent El Tri in a World Cup when he made his debut in the opener. And right away, the midfielder from Tuxtla showed flashes of why he belongs. Aside from the quickness with the ball, the sharpness of his cuts, Mora showed flashes of the maturity in his decision-making when he found striker Raúl Jiménez with a perfectly timed through-ball into the box.
Manager Javier Aguirre's trust in the young player has been evident, and it's only grown as Mexico's World Cup run has gotten deeper. Mora got extensive minutes in El Tri's 3-0 win over Czechia to close out a perfect group stage. Then against Ecuador in the round of 16, he was named to the Starting XI , making Mora the youngest player to start a World Cup game since Pelé in 1958.
He rose to the occasion, too. Mora completed 22 of his 25 passes, two of which were into the final third; he also created two chances and won four of five duels for the ball. Defensively, Mora had five recoveries, helping El Tri keep the pressure on and control the tempo of the game.
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When he subbed out in the 59th minute, Mora got yet another long standing ovation as thunderous as the storm that had previously delayed the start of the match by an hour.
It's that level of play that caught the eye of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City and AC Milan. It's also exactly why Club Tijuana locked him into a historic three-year contract extension on the eve of his World Cup debut.
But none of that matters to Mora right now.
"I don't really like to look at those kinds of things that are said about me," he said. "But the times I have heard that stuff, I always try to focus on what I can do: enjoy myself, live in the moment. When it's my time to play, enjoying it and being myself on the field.
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"I hope I stay that way, that I can keep showing my football, and I'm going to give the best of myself to try and help the team win."
"I'm convinced that this country gives us that type of player only once in a while," Aguirre said ahead of Mexico's blockbuster round of 16 match with England . "I remember in my era, Tomás Boy. They're people that the ball comes and they know what's happening 360 degrees around them. Benjamín Galindo was also in that line, and now we have Gilberto."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gilberto Mora staying present through historic World Cup run with Mexico
