Marcelo Flores Arsenal 2022Cortesía: Getty

Arsenal teenager Flores commits international future to Mexico national team ahead of Canada and England

Arsenal youngster Marcelo Flores has pledged his international allegiance to Mexico, with the 18-year-old midfielder leaving Canada and England disappointed.

A hot prospect at Emirates Stadium – one that made GOAL’s NXGN list for 2022 - was born in Ontario to a Canadian mother with English heritage and a Mexican father.

He linked up with Ipswich Town’s academy system in 2016, before moving to north London three years later, and is now committing to El Tri as he pushes for further senior recognition with club and country.

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Why has Flores chosen to represent Mexico?

After being involved in a tug of war between the Mexican and Canadian football federations, Flores said in a lengthy post on social media: “Existing as I do - being from a multicultural environment who identifies with several different countries - I feel it’s normal to question your identity and even sometimes doubt your own origin.

“Canada and England are a part of me, they have made me who I am. I can’t lie, this hasn’t been an easy process.

“I love Mexico. My father instilled this passion from a very young age and I was fortunate to visit Mexico every year during my childhood.

“I have always been part of the Mexican national team system. It is where I feel most comfortable. It is where my sisters and I feel most at home even when ‘home’ is thousands of miles away.”

He added: “I will represent Mexico wholeheartedly for the rest of my professional life.

“The Mexican Federation has supported me in different facets of my soccer development, invested in my progress and has always trusted me with the freedom to do what I thought was best.”

Has Flores made his debut for Arsenal and Mexico?

Flores’ decision to commit to Mexico should come as no real surprise as he already has two caps to his name.

Both of those appearances came in friendlies, meaning that he could still have switched allegiance, but colours have been nailed to a particular mast – with his sisters, Silvana and Tatiana, already involved with the Mexican women’s set-up.

Canada did their best to lure Flores into their camp, having named him in their provisional squad for the 2021 Gold Cup, but he went on figure for Mexico’s youth side at the Revelations Cup tournament in November of that year,

A few weeks later, a senior international bow was made against Chile after being selected by Gerardo Martino for the first time.

At club level, Flores has been knocking on the first-team door at Arsenal, with Mikel Arteta stating in April that he was “developing really, really well”.

That progress was rewarded with a place on the bench for a Premier League clash with Crystal Palace, but he remained an unused substitute in that contest and is still waiting on his Gunners debut.

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