Barcelona has extended an invitation to a 15-year-old Mexican wonderkid to train at La Masia, their renowned academy, in an effort to surpass Manchester City in the pursuit of the player.
Gilberto Mora, who is 15 years old, has already established himself as the youngest player in the annals of Club Tijuana to score a goal and participate. This achievement has caught the attention of Barcelona.
According to CaughtOffside, Mora is being monitored by AC Milan, FC Porto, and Paris Saint-Germain, while Crystal Palace and Tottenham may also serve as Premier League competitors for Pep Guardiola’s team.
City had been the first in line to secure Mora’s services; however, Barca will attempt to surpass them by offering training sessions at the same facility where legendary players such as Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, and Xavi Hernandez refined their abilities.
Barcelona has a history of Mexican players progressing through the junior divisions, as Giovani and Jonathan Dos Santos both graduated before establishing themselves in other leagues.
Mora’s family will be required to obtain permission from FIFA in order to allow him to visit La Masia, and they will be unable to contract him due to his age.
Mora is also prohibited from signing for anyone until he reaches the age of 18, which will not occur until January 2027.
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Mora to continue Barca’s legacy?
The history of Barcelona could provide them with an advantage, despite the fact that all of the clubs currently pursuing Mora have a strong reputation for developing youth players.
They have also reverted to concentrating on youth development due to financial constraints, following a period in which they made significant investments in established players such as Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele.
Modern-day examples of the progression include Gavi and Pedri; however, Mora may derive the most inspiration from Lamine Yamal.
The Spanish winger, who just turned 17 this summer, has already established himself as a regular at Barcelona, having scored his first Champions League goal this week. He served as an inspiration for his country during the European Championships in Germany.
Mora has scored once in four games for Tijuana and has already scored twice in four matches for the Mexico under-17s team. He has progressed from the under-15s, where he played 16 matches and scored nine goals at the age of 13, where he scored nine goals.
Yamal’s proposal was declined.
Yamal’s agent recently disclosed that PSG had submitted an offer for the adolescent in the vicinity of €250 million, which would have established a new world record.
His current contract expires in 2026, and Barcelona may need to investigate his contract situation. However, the offer was promptly rejected. They may be at risk of losing him in the future if he does not consent to new terms shortly.
In the interim, Arsenal has no intention of selling defender Gabriel, despite reports of interest from Barcelona and PSG. Additionally, a new contract is rumored to be imminent.
Factfile on Gilberto Mora
Date of birth: October 14, 2008 (age 15)
Named after his father, Gilberto Mora, who also played 186 games for several major Mexican teams.
On August 19, he made his senior debut for Tijuana in a 3–1 victory over Santos Laguna.
Is the youngest-ever goalscorer in the Mexican top division, having scored in a 2-1 victory over Leon on August 31.
Captured by Mexico Under-15s (nine goals in 16 outings) Under-16s (one goal in three games) and Under-17s (two goals in four games)
Barcelona, PSG, AC Milan, and FC Porto are among the major European teams that have expressed interest in him.
Plays primarily as a central midfielder, but can also function as a more advanced No. 10 player.
