From Gil Mora and Obed Vargas: How Javier Aguirre's youngsters are building Mexico's World Cup future

Gil Mora, Obed Vargas and Mateo Chávez are leading Mexico's youth movement as Javier Aguirre builds a World Cup contender with one eye firmly on the future.

Current Xolos manager Sebastián "Loco" Abreu has seen it all in football. After playing for 31 clubs, there are few careers, dressing rooms or footballing paths he has not crossed.

That is why 17-year-old Gilberto Mora could hardly ask for a better manager at this stage of his career. As Mora climbs the ranks and breaks barriers rarely seen in Mexican football, Abreu has become one of the voices best positioned to explain what makes him so special.

Mora already holds the record as the youngest player ever to play for El Tri in a World Cup, but what has made his rise remarkable is not just his age. It is the way he has owned the moment. He does not look like a teenager trying to survive a World Cup. He looks like someone who belongs.

Abreu has compared Mora to players such as Argentine playmaker Pablo Aimar, who was capable of floating across attacking positions without losing influence. He has described him as a free-flowing player. On ESPN MX, Abreu even said that if Mora continues working at this pace, he could match Luka Modrić's exceptional career in Europe, a comparison that says plenty about how highly he rates him.

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Aguirre's fearless faith in youth is paying immediate dividends
After Mexico's 3-0 win over Czechia, in which 22-year-old Mateo Chávez earned Player of the Match honors, Mora walked into the press zone and answered questions with the same calm he had shown on the field.
"Honestly, I did think I could achieve it, but not this soon," Mora said when asked about his first World Cup start. "But now that I'm here, I try to enjoy it, take it day by day and give my best whenever I step onto the field. And honestly, we're very happy to be able to close it out with three wins and without conceding a goal. It's really exciting for us, and we're going to keep working so we can continue on that path."
Mora finished the match with two key passes, but what stood out most was the composure he gave El Tri, especially in the second half, when Mexico began creating danger in Czechia's penalty area. Every touch seemed to calm the game.
"Who was going to take the penalty? Gil Mora, at 17 years old, would have taken the penalty," Javier "Vasco" Aguirre said after the match. "What I'm trying to say is that Mateo, Obed and Gil are 20, 21, 19 and 17. I don't even know. But beyond that, they are extremely prepared.
"This is a generation of young Mexicans who are not afraid of the ball, who are not overwhelmed by the stage. It does not scare them. I'm delighted with them. We have a good group of people. There are some very experienced players with three or four World Cups, and there are others who are making their debuts.
"I think we've already given debuts to 16 or 17 players, maybe 15. I don't know exactly how many. And honestly, I like that. I like it because this is the new generation, this is our future, and we have a strong foundation for what comes next."

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Building more than a World Cup team
This was perhaps Aguirre's legacy statement. He has done more than guide Mexico to nine points from nine in the group stage. By integrating players such as Chávez, Mora, Obed Vargas, Brian Gutiérrez, Armando "Hormiga" González and Raúl "Tala" Rangel in goal, Aguirre has laid a foundation that will stretch beyond this tournament, one Rafael Márquez is expected to inherit.
"We're at home. You can see the atmosphere. You can see teams get tired in the second half of the match," Vargas said after the win. "The people fuel us. They're always with us. I think that's something special about playing at home. I think we can beat any team here."
In 2010, it was also Aguirre who gave players such as Giovani dos Santos,Efraín Juárez, Carlos Vela, Javier "Chicharito" Hernández and Héctor Moreno their first World Cup experience. Aguirre has always trusted youth. Chicharito scored twice in that tournament, but Mexico's run ended with a 3-1 loss to Argentina in the Round of 16.
The difference between 2010 and 2026 is that most of the youngsters Aguirre is trusting now arrived with a stronger foundation of first-team minutes. When Giovani and Vela reached the 2010 World Cup, their careers were still taking shape, even if expectations were enormous because of their roles in Mexico's 2005 Under-17 World Cup triumph.
This generation has been given more room to grow. It has not been weighed down by the same burden of expectation. It has also been supported by veterans such as Guillermo Ochoa, Edson Álvarez, Johan Vásquez, Álvaro Fidalgo, Raúl Jiménez and Jesús Gallardo, the experienced core Aguirre referenced when explaining why this group has been able to blend so quickly.
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The future has already arrived
Gutiérrez is another example. He arrived from Chicago Fire FC at Chivas and looked as if he had been playing in Liga MX all his life. That speaks volumes about his maturity, but also about the work done by his coaches in the Chicago Fire academy. He finished the group stage with two starts and gave Mexico another young player capable of handling the World Cup stage without shrinking.
Mora remains the central figure of this new generation, the player whose age makes the story impossible to ignore. But Mexico's group stage was not only about Mora. It was about a group of young players proving that the future does not have to wait.
That is what made Chávez's message after the Czechia win feel so fitting. He did not speak like a player trying to separate himself from the group. He spoke like someone who understood why this generation is succeeding.
"Above all, it's the sense of family, the solidity, the solidarity with the teammate next to me and the support," said Chávez. "Honestly, whoever gets their chance, I think they're giving absolutely everything.
"And above all, the fans have given us so much energy. They've made us believe, and I think we're connecting very well. That has really helped us keep taking steps forward, and honestly, we feel very happy."
Mexico entered this World Cup needing a team that could make the country believe again. Aguirre has found something bigger: a generation bold enough to make the future feel as if it has already arrived.