Mexico national team wonderkid Gilberto Mora is confident El Tri has what it takes to make history and win the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 17-year-old midfielder doesn’t lack any confidence and revealed to ESPN that he considers Mexico as favorites to win the World Cup next summer.
“I think Mexico,” Mora answered on Futbol Picante when asked for his World Cup favorite. “We’re at home. We just have to believe it, that’s all. We have everything [it takes] to become champions.”
It’s an incredibly optimistic outlook from the young gem, given Mexico’s best World Cup result ever is a quarterfinals exit twice. El Tri hasn’t made it that far since the 1986 World Cup.
Mexico has participated in every World Cup since 1994, but saw their dreams come to an end in the round of 16 every single time, until a poor performance in the most recent tournament resulted in a group stage exit.
Gilberto Mora Drawing Inspiration From Real Madrid, Mexico Legend Hugo Sánchez
⚽️🇲🇽 Hugo Sánchez
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) September 24, 2015
A goalscorer like no other and one of the best strikers in the history of Real Madrid.#RMHistory pic.twitter.com/bqxRwlDqWg
Hugo Sánchez is widely considered as the greatest Mexican player of all time. The striker’s enormous talent and tenacious mentality helped him win five Pichichi awards with Real Madrid, become Los Blancos’ seventh all-time leading goalscorer and a legend of the sport.
His mentality is something Mora is trying to emulate, as he believes it played a massive role in the success of the Mexican great.
“He’s one of the biggest figures of Mexican soccer,” Mora said about Sánchez. “We’re missing that belief in ourselves, like he did throughout his career. There’s a reason why he achieved what he did in Europe. So I think we must lear from his mentality.”
Sánchez was part of El Tri’s team that made the quarterfinals in its home 1986 World Cup. Nevertheless, he failed to leave a lasting legacy with the national team.
The Real Madrid and Barcelona target will aim to continue making history at his tender age. Last summer, he became the youngest player ever to win a senior international trophy, playing a key role in Mexico’s 2025 Gold Cup triumph.
Mora’s claim might be far-fetched at best; still, he’s practically a lock to make his World Cup debut next summer, where he’ll try to help El Tri capture its best result in tournament history.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Gilberto Mora Makes Huge Mexico World Cup Prediction.
