Gilberto Mora, 17, second-youngest World Cup knockout starter after Pelé | OneFootball

Gilberto Mora, 17, underlined his rapid rise by starting again as Mexico beat Ecuador 2-0 in the World Cup last 32. According to L'Équipe, the tournament’s youngest player is emerging as the country’s new prodigy.

Rested for the second group game against South Korea, a 1-0 win on 19 June, he has since started twice in succession, most recently against Ecuador. That selection made him the second youngest in history to begin a World Cup knockout match, behind Pelé.

Capable of operating wide on the left, he lined up on the left of a midfield three in a 4-3-3. He took the game’s first shot in the fifth minute, then bent a right-footed effort just wide in the 16th minute. The most involved of Mexico’s attackers on the ball, he tired after the break and was withdrawn in the 58th minute with the result secure.

Head coach Javier Aguirre has described Mora as a different type of player who anticipates what will happen and seems to have eyes in the back of his head. He says the teenager is courageous, audacious and vertical, and though only 1.75m he stays composed on the ball.

His precocity and central playmaker role invite comparisons with Diego Maradona in this part of the world. César Luis Menotti kept a 17-year-old Maradona out of Argentina 1978 to protect his mental health and career, whereas Aguirre named Mora in his 26 and has trusted him to start.

Source: L'Équipe