Andrés Guardado feared he would miss out on 2022 World Cup
The Mexican midfielder revealed that he was worried about Real Betis’ delay in registering him.
Andrés Guardado will be one of the first names in Gerardo Martino’s squad for the World Cup in Qatar 2022. His experience and leadership make him a fundamental part of the Mexico team, but the ‘Little Prince’ experienced an anxious period as Real Betis had not registered him for the start of the new season.
Stressful period for Guardado
In an interview with TUDN, the Betis player recalled how he experienced it all “It was very difficult, a very intense month because obviously because of the situation I had to live through, a very stressful situation, because I was telling you that what I find most difficult or the worst thing is the uncertainty, not knowing what was really going to happen.
“If in the end wondering if I was going to be registered or not, looking for options to leave in case I wasn’t, all that was a bit stressful. It was exhausting, especially mentally, but fortunately, everything was solved. I’m staying in the place where I want to be and can enjoy another year here with Betis. We have a very good season ahead of us and we hope to meet the expectations,” he said.
Pressure for Qatar 2022
On the other hand, he reiterated that his concern was more about the World Cup. “Exactly, the year of the World Cup was what made me most nervous. If there had not been the World Cup I think I would have handled it differently, but having the World Cup there I was really worried because in the worst case scenario I would not be registered and not have a team.”
Guardado will play in his fifth World Cup this winter, equalling Mexican legends Antonio Carbajal and Rafael Márquez. The Real Betis midfielder played in Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018.