Gilberto Mora is Mexico’s next big thing
It feels like football is getting younger and younger, mostly because it is. Some of the world’s best players are teenagers, wearing braces, doing TikTok dances, and fearlessly ripping it up on the biggest stages.
By Alex Roberts
Elite clubs are constantly on the hunt for the next big thing, scouring every corner of the earth. Many of them have landed in Mexico, hoping to snap up a 17-year-old that plays for Tijuana, Gilberto Mora.
He’s already breaking records. Over the summer he featured in Javier Aguirre’s Mexico side for their triumphant Gold Cup campaign, dazzling against North America’s biggest names.
Just 16 at the time, when a player is called up to an international tournament at that age, they must have something about them. But still, it’s almost always more of a learning experience, with little expectation of actually featuring much.
Not for Mora. Aguirre had absolutely no problem leaning on the youngster, handing him his debut in their 2-0 quarter final win over guest nation Saudi Arabia. Mora would then provide the assist for veteran striker Raúl Jiménez in their 1-0 win over Honduras in Mexico’s next game.
Aguirre was clearly impressed with his input, giving Mora the nod to start ahead of more established stars like Orbelín Pineda and Carlos Rodríguez for the final against arch rivals USA.
Mexico went on to lift the CONCACAF Gold Cup, beating Mauricio Pochettino’s lads 2-1. It was a great achievement for them, but on a personal level for Mora, he now holds the record as the youngest-ever player to lift an international trophy, aged 16 years and 265 days, overtaking Lamine Yamal and the late great Pelé.
What makes off this more interesting, is that Mora wasn’t really played in his preferred role throughout the Gold Cup and was primarily used as a midfielder. He’s more of a winger, incredibly small standing at 5’3″, but what he lacks in stature he makes up for in trickery.
Watching him play it’s easy to tell how much he loves football. Mora is so free when he steps onto the pitch, boldly getting the crowd off their seats with nutmegs and drag backs, using his remarkable close control to get the better of defenders that are old enough to be his dad.
He was just 15 when he made his Liga MX debut with the number 251 on his back. For those of you that have watched much Mexican football, that’s par for the course, it’s an unorthodox league.
Two weeks later he became the youngest goal scorer in Liga MX history, slotting home after a cross broke kindly to him around the penalty spot against Club León.
Even his manager, Juan Carlos Osorio, couldn’t help but carried away with how big of a deal Mora could be. “I hope he goes on to have a successful career,” he said after the game. “This is a triumph for the academy and for Gilberto’s family.”
He went on to play 1483 minutes across 30 league games for Tijuana last season, scoring two goals and providing one assist. It may not sound remarkable, but don’t forget Mora is a child playing in a league with a lot of pretty gruff men.
This season, he’s really starting to look the business. Playing off the left wing, although occasionally featuring up front, Mora has already beaten last season’s goal return with five in 14 across all competitions.
Mora is a modern winger, not afraid to drive toward the opposition penalty area, wriggling around defenders and striking with his preferred right foot. His low centre of gravity makes it desperately hard to get the ball off him, think Eden Hazard when he was at Chelsea, not Real Madrid.
Don’t let that make you think he’s one dimensional, however. In the game against the US, he popped up on the left demanding the ball from full-back Jorge Sánchez, turning inside and forcing ‘keeper Matt Freese into action from distance.
At club level this season, Tijuana have been happy to give him as much attacking freedom as their able, often leaving him out wide, knowing that the pros far outweigh the cons when out of possession.
He’s been an almost constant attacking threat, exceeding his xG of 2.21 by 0.79, having 17 shots, six of which have been on target, suggesting he’s adding a more clinical edge to his game.
Mora isn’t quite as creative as he should be, however, creating just eight chances for his teammates, providing one assist along the way. His 179 successful passes isn’t great either, brimming with confidence he wants the ball, knowing he can make a difference.
Having starred for Mexico’s senior team, he was called up to their under-20s for the World Cup in September. Unsurprisingly, Mora looked a cut above the rest, ending the tournament as FotMob’s highest rated player. That should make up for losing to Argentina in the quarters.
His best performance came against Spain in the group stage. Just after the half-hour mark, he nutmegs their number eight, plays it off to a teammate, who quickly feeds it back to him, allowing Mora to slot past the ‘keeper to open the scoring. He made it look so easy.
Spain restored parity just before the break, then went 2-1 up in the 81st minute thanks to a penalty from Udinese striker Iker Bravo. Mora wasn’t having that. He didn’t hesitate when the ball fell to him six minutes later, sending in a gentle yet well placed volley to make it 2-2.
Mora has everything in his locker to become a household name, although there are, of course, still a few things that can be improved up. His decision making isn’t great, he also needs to bulk up a bit, but we’ll put that down to him being a kid.
It’s just a matter of time before he’s playing somewhere in Europe. Real Madrid and Barcelona have already been linked, but they’ll have to wait until he’s 18 before he can officially join.
Wherever he ends up, Mora will be fine.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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