MEXICO
Nicolás Ibáñez could play for Mexico despite being born in Argentina
The Argentine-born forward is set to complete the process of naturalisation and will soon be in line for a Mexico call up.
The international break left more questions than answers for the Mexican National Team, leading to various people to start calling for naturalisations for some players who could form part of the squad. Nicolás Ibáñez has now raised his arm and is a potential option for the squad.
The Tigres forward is awaiting confirmation of his naturalisation that is currently ongoing, and it is expected that he will be in the running for a spot in the squad managed by Jaime Lozano once the process is complete.
“I have already done the process of naturalisation, and I already said that if I’m selected when available then I’ll proudly represent Mexico. I’m just waiting on the final things from migration and then I think they’ll grant me the nationality”, he confessed.
Which other naturalised players are set to play for Mexico?
The ex-Pachuca player is a two-time Liga MX champion, and he is not the only candidate to fill a gap in the Mexico squad. Both Germán Berterame and Julián Quiñones, with the latter a hugely promising player, have been sounded out as potential forwards for El Tri. Quiñones has been mentioned multiple times by media outlets covering Mexico and is currently the naturalised player closest to making his debut for the senior team.
The most recent naturalised player to debut for Mexico was Rogelio Funes Mori, who plays for Rayados. However, the striker did not live through a positive period under the leadership of Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino and his ultimately failed time as Mexico boss; the player scored just 6 goals in 17 games.
Mexico’s unconvincing international break
Jaime Lozano’s team come out of the international break with two quite wobbly performances, which have been the reason for the calls to bring in naturalised players. In defence, Mexico performed poorly, leaving a bad image for fans and pundits. They conceded 5 goals across just 180 minutes of football, with the games finishing 2-2 vs Australia and 3-3 against Uzbekistan.
