MEXICO CITY (AP) — Gilberto Mora became the youngest player to start in a league game. world cup The 17-year-old sensation represented Mexico against the Czech Republic on Wednesday night.
Mora is the youngest player to participate in this World Cup. The midfielder came on as a substitute in Mexico’s 2-0 win against South Africa on June 11, becoming the eighth 17-year-old to feature in the tournament.
Pele became the first under-18 World Cup player when he made his debut for Brazil in 1958. The youngest player in World Cup history was Northern Ireland’s Norman Whiteside, who played in 1982 at the age of 17 years and 41 days. Mola is the first 17-year-old to watch a World Cup match since Femi Opabunmi and Bartholomew Ogbeche of Nigeria in 2002.
Mora, who plays for Tijuana in the Mexican League, missed two months with a groin injury earlier this year, but coach Javier Aguirre was cautious with him in the first two games. After coming on as a substitute against South Africa, he did not play in last Thursday’s 1-0 win against South Korea.
The player known as Morita has already set several records related to his age. In August 2024, at the age of 15, he became the youngest player to start and score in the Mexican First Division. In January last year, he became the youngest player to make his senior team debut at the age of 16.
The youngest player to ever represent Mexico in a World Cup was Manuel “Chaquetas” Rosas, who played in the first tournament in 1930, at the age of 18 years and 88 days.
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
