Mexico v South Africa: Why Serie A players will be vital today | OneFootball

The FIFA World Cup kicks off in some hours and Mexico will lock horns with South Africa about 16 years after doing the same in the 2010 edition. A lot has changed since then and importantly, there will some Serie A presence at the tournament’s grand opener.

Johan Vasquez

By now, Genoa’s Johan Vasquez has become a recognised figure for the Mexican side. He has now played close to 50 times for the national team and on the way, he has become a vital leader for the Rossoblu as well.

For Genoa, he has played 144 times and has seen a fair bit of ups and downs too. At one point, he spent a loan at Cremonese and for a while, it felt like his time at the club could be over. But he returned to the fray just as they returned to Serie A and is now their club captain.

He is very reliable on the ball and oozes safety. The World Cup could be an excellent opportunity for him to make a mark and possibly earn a big move.

Santiago Gimenez

In a way, the striker Santi Gimenez finds himself at the other end of the spectrum from Vasquez. There was a chance he could have ended up in the Premier League in January but a ankle injury denied that from happening. The 2025/26 campaign was quite frustrating for him, as he failed to score even once.

This came right after he was largely convincing after joining them in January 2025. The money shelled out wasn’t low by any means but Milan’s instability has impacted the striker quite a bit. At Feyenoord, he was a proven threat but his numbers for Mexico haven’t always been convincing either.

But the World Cup will be his stage to turn his career around. He may not have a future at Milan but it will send a message to potential suitors.

Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN