The gifted teenager is attracting attention from Europe's elite after a stunning start to his career
"He’s got bags of talent and he’s Mexican, so we can consider ourselves very lucky," Mexico boss Javier Aguirre said in July after watching 16-year-old sensation Gilberto Mora set up the winning goal for Raul Jimenez in El Tri's Concacaf Gold Cup semi-final clash with Honduras. "The sky's the limit for him."
That last statement may well be true, especially when you consider that only a year ago, Mora was still waiting for his first taste of senior football. His rapid rise from the Club Tijuana Under-19s to the club's first team, and subsequently Mexico's starting XI has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Naturally, it hasn't gone unnoticed in Europe. Barcelona reportedly offered Mora a trial last September, while Manchester City have sent scouts to watch him in Liga MX action. As confirmed by his agent, Real Madrid are also now keeping a close eye on the teenager's progress with a view to tying him to a pre-contract agreement that allows him to head to Spain after he turns 18.
Whoever wins the race for Mora's signature will be getting a potential generational talent. He is certainly the most exciting prospect Mexico have produced for a long time, and Aguirre's words of praise sum up the feelings of fans across the country. It often feels premature to place so much expectation on the shoulders of young players, but the hype around Mora is totally justified, and GOAL has taken a deep dive into his development below…
Where it all began
Mora was born on October 14, 2008, in the Mexican city of Tuxtla Gutierrez, and football has always been in his blood. His father, Gilberto Mora Olayo, played professionaly for Mexican clubs Toluca, Jaguares and Puebla, and is now the current coach of Club Tijuana's reserve team, a role he initially took up in 2022.
Tijuana drafted Mora into their youth ranks early, and it soon became clear that he had the potential not only to emulate his father, but also to eclipse him entirely. He started playing for the U19s by the time he was just 14, and caught the eye of first-team manager Juan Carlos Osorio with his electrifying performances.
Osario invited Mora to train with the senior squad, and in the space of just a few weeks, he did enough to convince the coach he was worthy of a spot in Tijuana's squad for the 2024-25 campaign. He was left out of the first four games of the season, but then stepped off the bench for his debut in a Liga MX Apertura encounter against Santos Laguna at the tender age of 15 years and 10 days.
That made Mora the youngest player in Tijuana's entire history, and he also broke the record for the youngest to ever provide an assist in Liga MX, feeding Jaime Alvarez to seal a 3-1 home victory in stoppage time. In that moment, the Estadio Caliente faithful welcomed a new hero into their hearts.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportThe big break
Just 12 days after making his bow, Mora was handed his first start for Tijuana against Leon, and marked the occasion in spectacular style. The Mexican ace, who was also captaining his country's U17 team at the time, scored the decisive goal to give Tijuana a 2-1 victory in the 65th minute, calmly controlling a loose ball in the box before firing low past the goalkeeper.
That made Mora the youngest Liga MX goal-scorer of all time, beating the previous record held by Yael Padilla of Chivas by two years. He would go on to feature in 24 more league games for Tijuana before the end of the campaign, netting another winning goal in an Apertura encounter against Monterrey along the way.
On January 16, Mora also appeared in his first senior game for Mexico, in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Internacional. Mora didn't write another chapter in the history books because that was an unofficial contest, but it paved the way for him to do so six months later at the Gold Cup.
Aguirre named Mora in his official 26-man squad for the tournament, and he became the youngest Mexico debutant ever at 16 years and 257 days when lining up against Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals, replacing the injured Luis Chavez on the left of a midfield three. Mora played 73 minutes as El Tri ran out 2-0 winners, and Aguirre was delighted by the youngster's impact: "He wasn't scared, he has talent with the ball. He sees football differently.
Mora was subsequently switched to the right side in the last-four clash with Honduras, but showed the same fearlessness in a much tighter game. In the 50th minute, he latched onto a pass some 20 yards from goal, dancing past one defender with ease before playing a perfectly weighted pass to Jimenez, who then produced a first-time finish that ultimately gave Mexico a 1-0 victory and a final berth against the United States.
Getty Images SportHow it's going
Mora retained his place for the showpiece event, and played a key role in Mexico's stunning 2-1 victory over the arch rivals. Jimenez and Edson Alvarez grabbed the goals to cancel out Chris Richards' early opener for the U.S., but it was Mora who kept things ticking over in midfield as he posted a 93 percent pass completion rate, with no nerves creeping into his game on the biggest stage.
That triumph saw Mora overtake Spain's Euro 2024 hero Lamine Yamal as the youngest player ever to win a senior national-team title. Whether or not Mora can go on to reach the same level as the Barcelona wonderkid remains to be seen, but the foundations are in place, and he also has the advantage of a strong support network, which includes Mexico striker Santiago Gimenez.
"Mora blew us all away at 16, I think he was one of the best players in the cup," Gimenez said after the tournament. "He's a very focused kid, who knows what he wants. I want to be an example for him and I also want to instruct him because I know his dream is to reach Europe."
That dream is likely to become a reality sooner rather than later if Mora stays on his current trajectory. The Tijuana star has also made a superb start to the new club season, now working under Uruguay legend Sebastian Abreu, who replaced Osorio at the helm in March.
Mora was selected for the MLS All-Star Game, and scored the only goal for Liga MX in a 3-1 defeat, while dazzling with his quick feet and composure. "Mexico has a gem here, it’s not normal to see a player like that, he is an exceptional player," Liga MX All-Stars manager Andre Jardine exclaimed.
That is one of six goals Mora has scored in August, with the youngster also netting braces for Tijuana in a Leagues Cup tie against the LA Galaxy and in the 3-3 draw with Chivas in Liga MX. Jardine was right: Mora is "not normal", and nor is the fact that Tijuana are already relying on him as their primary source of inspiration.
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Getty Images SportBiggest strengths
Mora is an elusive winger/attacking midfielder who dribbles with a low centre of gravity and always keeps close control of the ball. He is capable of gliding past multiple defenders under pressure, and also has a deep box of tricks to pull from, which makes him thrilling to watch because you never know what he is going to do next.
From a technical standpoint, Mora is miles ahead of most players around his age as a two-footed maestro with a high footballing IQ. The Mexico international can flip from an orchestrator to a creator or ultimate difference-maker in the blink of an eye, possessing the accuracy to fire in shots from any angle.
His versatility and powers of anticipation are also invaluable, but Aguirre believes that Mora's "biggest strength" is often overlooked. "What I like most about him is that he never shies away or pulls out of tackles," the Mexican coach said at the Gold Cup. "He can be on the receiving end of a couple of robust challenges and he keeps showing for the ball."