Gilberto Mora is just 17 years old and is keeping company with Pele.
The Mexico midfielder is the second-youngest player in history to start a World Cup knockout match, trailing only the Brazilian legend.
He is the youngest Mexican to ever feature at a men’s World Cup. And he became the youngest player in history to win a major international tournament when Mexico lifted the Gold Cup last summer at just 16 years and 265 days old.
Mexico were eliminated 3-2 by England in the last 16, but Mora’s tournament has already made a lasting impression, and Arsenal, according to El Universal Mexico, are among the clubs planning to sign him.
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Born in Tuxtla Gutierrez in Mexico’s southeastern state of Chiapas, Mora grew up in Tijuana where his father played and later coached for Club Tijuana.
He signed professional terms with the club and made his Liga MX debut aged just 15 years and 308 days, becoming the youngest goalscorer in the division’s history in only his second appearance.
His former Tijuana coach Juan Carlos Osorio compared him to Andres Iniesta after watching him in training.
“He knows how to move with and without the ball, he reminds me of Iniesta,” Osorio told TUDN Mexico. “He touched the ball four or five times and I thought: ‘This kid is different.'”
Not only is Mora incredibly talented but he is also said to be remarkably mature for a player his age.
His Mexico teammate Santiago Gimenez recalled the teenager getting his head down and reading a book on a rowdy team bus.
But despite the spotlight, he’s a humble kid. His agent Rafaela Pimenta recalled visiting the family home the morning after Mora made World Cup history, only to be told he had slept at his cousin’s house playing PlayStation.
Why Arsenal want Gilberto Mora and what their plan would be
Tijuana have reportedly accepted that Mora’s move to Europe is a matter of time and have set a price of £18.4million.
Arsenal and Liverpool are both understood to be the most prepared to meet that figure.
However, the earliest any European club can officially sign and register Mora is after he turns 18 in October 2026, per FIFA regulations.
The move would be in a similar vein to what Arsenal planned for Jeremy Monga, before they were gazumped by Manchester City.
He would be high-ceiling teenager already with proven first-team credentials but would be eased into the picture gradually, or loaned out initially.
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It would surely not impact Arsenal’s pursuit of a more senior midfield option, with Bruno Guimaraes remaining the priority.
At £18.4million for a player of this profile, it looks like it could be a bit of a steal.
Andrea Berta cannot make the same mistake he did with Monga, and should move fast to secure him.
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