Gilberto Mora, the young sensation of the Mexico national team, debuted with Xolos Tijuana by decision of Colombian coach Juan Carlos Osorio, who in a recent interview on ESPN revealed that he did so because the player from border squad had a style similar to the Spaniard Andres Iniesta.

Osorio, famous for his bold decisions to give opportunities to young talents, did not hesitate to look for a player in the Xolos youth system two tournaments ago after the border team's premature elimination from the Leagues Cup who could help him strengthen his tactical scheme.

Osorio delved into his assessments on the Jorge Ramos show on ESPN, where he revealed several details that occurred in the Gold Cup and the Club World Cup, where he also took the time to comment on the details of discovering Gilberto Mora.

Thus, Juan Carlos Osorio said that he did not hesitate to call Mora, that despite still having the athletic physical development to compete with everything against larger rivals in Liga MX, he made the decision to add him to the first team because of his talent and footballing skills.

Thus, Mora appeared in the Xolos in August of 2024 and from that moment on he gained confidence and grew with an innate talent to move intelligently on the pitch, but above all to make movements in cuts, removing the mark by turning on his own axis and assuming another aspect of the attack.

These factors led him to the options he was receiving under the condition that his father, the former First Division player of Puebla and Jaguares Chiapas, of the same name, took him calmly and advised him not to lose his ground.

Osorio's reasons

Regarding the real reasons for giving Gilberto Mora the golden opportunity, the Colombian coach recalled his time at Xolos: “I saw in Gilberto a natural talent, he was a child, but in his physiological maturation process; he is still very vulnerable. But for me, the most important thing is the turning controls; where in a single movement he is able to turn and control."

So, when he started watching the youth team games, he was struck by the way Mora approaches football and saw similarities to the Spaniard Andrés Iniesta: "The average number of 360-degree turns is 700 per game; he seemed very similar to (Andrés) Iniesta, and we decided to use him as (Pep) Guardiola often did, as a false winger, with a changed profile," he added.

To emphasize his analysis, Juan Carlos Osorio gave as an example his assist for a goal in the Mexico vs. Honduras match in the Gold Cup, assuring that Mora knows how to read the game well, and even has the skills to compete in Europe, especially in Spain, where the game is more tactical than physical.