There will be one familiar face in the Mexico XI in tonight’s World Cup curtain-raiser against South Africa. West Ham United misfit Edson Alvarez is expected to lead out El Tri at the iconic Azteca.
A poor loan spell at Fenerbahce scuppered the Hammers’ hopes of a timely £19 million windfall. It also left Edson Alvarez’s future in limbo, meaning a World Cup held partially on home soil represents not only a shot at local immortality, but also the chance to put himself in the shop window.
For Gilberto Mora, Alvarez’s 17-year-old Mexico teammate, his performances back home at Tijuana have done that already.
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No pre-tournament ‘player to watch’ list is complete without mention of Mexico’s great young hope.
Carlton Cole certainly made sure West Ham know all about Mora. The former striker-turned-loans and pathways manager recommended his Hammers colleagues keep a close eye on the twinkle-toed teenager after being made aware of his seemingly limitless potential.
His current employers were not willing to let Mora step onto the world stage without first putting themselves in the strongest possible position, though.
Tijuana extend Gilberto Mora contract after West Ham United recommendation
Tijuana have confirmed, prior to tonight’s 9pm kick-off, that Mora has signed ‘the largest player contract in the club’s history’.
“Gilberto represents the best of Club Tijuana,” beaming president Jorgealberto Hank tells their official website. “[Mora] is an exceptionally talented player, but also a young man whose character, humility, and ambition make him a magnificent ambassador for our club.
“This is a historic agreement for our club, but it is also a reflection of the relationship we have built with Gilberto and his team.
“Everyone involved shares the same goal: to ensure that every decision made today supports the next stage of Gilberto’s career.”
What that ‘next stage’ looks like is anyone’s guess right now.
Tijuana know in their heart of hearts that retaining their baby-faced prized asset for much longer is probably something of a pipe dream; that new contract rubber-stamped perhaps to maximise Mora’s value, rather than actually intending to keep him in Mexico until the 2030 World Cup is just 12 months away.
Carlton Cole is already an admirer of the Mexico starlet
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Patience may be a virtue for Carlton Cole, then, as his dreams of seeing Mora begin next season in the claret and blue of West Ham are delivered a blow before the tournament even begins.
Cole is not the only former striker who feels that the sky, if not the Earth’s own exosphere, might be the limit.
“[Mexico] have very young players like Gilberto Mora, who has impressed me,” former Spain, Liverpool, Monaco and Real Madrid frontman Fernando Morientes tells El Universal.
“He’s playing at an extraordinary level and generating excitement worldwide.”
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