MEXICO
Comparing Mexico’s best strikers: who will start against Germany and Ghana?
Mexico have a handful of options in attack for the upcoming games against Germany and Ghana, meaning Jaime Lozano has a tough decision to make.
Mexico are in a crucial year in their long history: with the Copa América on the horizon before a home World Cup, El Tri have a huge task ahead of them to build a team that can compete with the best. In order to do so, they must have a marksman up front that makes others jealous, someone who forces Federation directors to order innocent interns onto the web in search of a foreign grandparent who may be of use.
To fill the role as star nine, Mexico have a few options. Santiago Giménez is the fashionistas choice, with the Feyenoord forward leading the power rankings every week among Europe’s sharpshooters. But there are more experienced, perhaps measured and trustworthy options for Jaime Lozano in his structure. But who is the best option to wear the green shirt? Well, that’s exactly what we’re going to do here, compare who should start for Mexico as they embark on a key campaign.
Raúl Jiménez may be a solid option
Ex-Atlético Madrid forward, Raúl Jiménez, is the most experienced option of the strikers called up to the Mexico squad by Jaime Lozano. The striker also has the best goals-per-game record of the current squad, netting for El Tri once every 193 minutes. He has played 104 times for the side, including 6 World Cup games, although he has never found the net at the showpiece tournament.
For the more conservative manager, Jiménez, with his experience, know-how, physical presence and work-rate guarantee, he is a solid option for the starting role in Mexico’s front line. Granted, at 32-years-old, the striker may not have the same amount of boundless energy that he did a decade ago, but playing for Fulham, where he has featured 7 times in the Premier League 23/24 season so far, Jiménez has shown that he can still cut it at the top level of the game.
Henry Martín: goalscorer and provider
An option from home soil is that of Henry Martín, who has been called up to Lozano’s squad for the games against Ghana and Germany. The América forward has a wealth of experience at international level with just under 40 games under his belt, as well as 9 goals. This number may not seem huge, but Mexico’s recent run on and off the pitch has not granted any player with much stability, and it seems that Martín has suffered from that.
The 30-year-old has routinely captained América in the games he has played in so far this season, showing that he is a capable leader and when we take a look at his numbers for Mexico, the 7 assists show that his experience also counts on the pitch as he can frequently turn provider for his teammates.
Overall for América he has a record of 84 goals in 219 games. For El Tri, he is the only player of the three to have bagged at a World Cup for the national side, scoring in 2022 against Saudi Arabia in Mexico’s final group game.
Santi Giménez, the man of the moment
If you don’t know who Santiago Giménez is, then get on board the hype train, as it’s not quite yet left the station. The Feyenoord forward is arguably Mexico’s next hot prospect, as he has been bagging goals like they’re worth double in the Eredivisie in The Netherlands.
If we take a look at his numbers for Feyenoord, the 22-year-old has scored a whopping 12 goals in 8 games so far this season, including 2 braces and a hat-trick. He also has 2 assists, showing that he can turn provider when he sees his teammates in better positions. Such positive performances in northern Europe have seen him linked with moves to the biggest clubs on the continent, including Real Madrid.
For Mexico, the player does not have the most experience, having only featured 20 times, and just 9 from the start, playing an average of just over 45 minutes. In those 20 bit-part games, he has 4 goals, which averages out at around one every 237 minutes.
These numbers may not be that impressive on paper, but taking his club form into account, and it looks difficult to leave out the youngster from the Mexico side if they want to make the step up into the elite level of international football.
Who do you think should start up front for Mexico? Let us know on X, at @English_AS.
When is Mexico’s next game?
El Tri’s next game is against Ghana. The match will be played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday 14 October 2023, with kick-off at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT.
