Santi’s call: confidence at 16, not at 23
Look, this is simple. Santiago Giménez is clear about it and says it bluntly. While Gilberto ‘Morita’ Mora carries the label of great hope since he was 15, the AC Milan forward sends a direct message to the Mexican clubs.
“A primary and very important thing is to give confidence to young people when they are 16 or 17 years old like with Mora. It is an example that you can be a great player at that age,” he declared to ESPN.
Your point is compelling. We can’t continue calling 23 or 24-year-old kids who are just making their debut ‘young’. For Santi, at that age they should already be consolidated, not just starting.
An urgent change of mentality
Giménez sees Morita as the model to follow. The key is to give minutes and real preparation from adolescence. That attracts European attention and develops real national talent.
But his vision goes beyond early debuts. Criticizes the lack of patience in projects.
“Do a long-term project… but if we set a long term, two months pass and we change things, that has been very damaging,” he assured.
For him, allowing mistakes, building a good structure and maintaining a firm plan could take Mexican soccer to another level. It is a recipe for discipline and vision that, as a former athlete, he understands perfectly.
It’s not just about discovering talent. It’s about believing in it in time.
