Only Pelé younger? Mexico star Gilberto Mora could write history at the World Cup

Only 17 

When Mexico open the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the legendary Azteca against South Africa on Friday, they will do so with the youngest player of the tournament in the squad: Gilberto Mora. Indeed, there is even a chance the 17-year-old will feature against South Africa at some point. After all, the Tijuana playmaker has already made eight appearances for his country and featured off the bench in the final three buildup games ahead of the tournament against Ghana (2-0), Australia (1-0) and Serbia (5-1).

With a market value of €10m, the Tijuana star isn’t just the third most valuable player in Liga MX but also one of the 25 most valuable players born in 2008. In that regard, Mora has already set some significant benchmarks in his still very young career. At the upcoming World Cup, as a co-host, Mora could reach legendary status. By the time of writing, Mora was 17 years, seven months and 27 days old. The same age as Pelé when he scored the winner at the 1958 World Cup against Wales (1-0). With the Mexico opener tomorrow away, Mora won’t be breaking Pelé’s record, but as the graphic below shows, he could feasibly become the second-youngest goalscorer in World Cup history at some stage during this tournament.

"As you know, he has been developing pretty well,” Transfermarkt Area Manager Mexico, Osvaldo González Camacho, said on the recent Market Values Podcast. “His performance during the Gold Cup, which was the last success of the Mexican national team, was pretty impressive. He was one of the best players for Mexico in the last Gold Cup. So, [head coach] Javier Aguirre has already trusted him because he shows a range of skills. He's a very mature player even though he is only 17-years old.” Mora was indeed a crucial player at the 2025 Gold Cup that Mexico won by beating the United States in the final (2-1). In that tournament, Mora didn’t feature until the knockout stage, but he was certainly the best player for his country.

Gilberto Mora: Can he deal with the World Cup pressure?

Although a football-mad country, Mexico has historically done poorly at the World Cup. Furthermore, you have to go all the way back to the 1990s when the country had a true star performing consistently at a top club in the form of Hugo Sánchez. Sánchez was a consistent performer for Real Madrid during what was a rare international drought for the club. As a result, Sánchez perhaps never received the true global accolades. Chicharito was perhaps a global star off the pitch, but on the pitch, his performances never matched his international recognition. As a result, there is significant pressure on Mora.

"He [Mora] actually had a lot of pressure because we are like pushing all the expectations of the future of Mexican League on him,” Camacho said. Indeed, changes to Liga MX means that there is now a greater emphasis on developing young players within Mexico which means Mora could soon be surrounded by a promising generation of young up and coming talent “I think that we are watching other stars becoming better profiles for the future... the future looks maybe more promising not just because of Gilberto Mora but also because of other stars [coming through]." For Mora to make the next step, though, he might have to leave Mexico entirely. “Let’s hope Monterrey don't offer like $18 million for Gilberto Mora because maybe [Tijuana] can take it.” But Mora is represented by Rafaela Pimenta, who has taken over Mino Raiola’s clients after his death. That could become an issue for clubs in Europe that might be perhaps best for Mora’s development but don’t have the cash to sign the talented Mexican.

“Rafaela Pimenta already said that she expects at least 18 million for each leg of Gilberto Mora,” Camacho said. “So, I think that's going to be very difficult in the European leagues because he hasn't proved that much until now. But maybe for Monterrey that would be worth it." There is, however, another possible model. The Seattle Sounders, for example, recently sold Obed Vargas to Atlético Madrid in a deal that was structured heavily around future considerations. “I expect that the negotiations between Tijuana and other teams regarding Gilberto Mora could be maybe looking for the future, maybe earning more money in a next sale or something like this,” Camacho said. But should Mora write history at this World Cup and perhaps guide Mexico to a deep run, then a big transfer this summer is more than possible, perhaps to one of Europe’s elite teams for a price that could even appease Pimenta.

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