On Thursday new broke that 15-year-old Mexican talent Gilberto Mora had caught the eye of Barcelona, and the Catalan side have invited him to train with them. It’s a similar strategy they have carried out with the likes of David Oduro before signing him.
Mora, who plays for Xolos de Tijuana, has already made his senior debut, and has scored and assisted in his four appearances off the bench. Naturally, the attacking midfielder has caught the eye of big clubs.
The TUDN journalist Paco Arredondo that broke the story explained to Sport that Mora also has a trial offer from Feyenoord too.
“The boy has received an invitation from Feyenoord and Barcelona. His father is Gilberto Mora, a former professional player. His father is now part of the Tijuana youth team. Being a minor, the player needs his parents’ permission.”
“He is a daring player, short (170cm), fast, a midfielder and very creative, with a great reading of the game despite his young age,” Arredondo continued. “He has a very interesting peripheral vision, he can get into the box, score, and he gets in behind, and he is very fast. He still needs to develop physically. If the move to Barcelona happens, I imagine that the change would be very useful for him to develop.”
While Barcelona can obviously trade off their name and their good record of developing players, but it would be no surprise if more sides started chasing Mora. It will not hurt his stock that the Catalan giants have been linked with him. In addition, a number of Mexican players have used the Netherlands as a successful stepping stone to Europe, including Edson Alvarez, Hirving Lozano and Andres Guardado, which could play a part in his decision, if he does want to move eventually. Legally, Mora will not be able to leave for Europe until he turns 18, in October of 2026.