“Everything has grown and we haven’t”: the pessimism of a historic soccer player from Mexico, Argentina’s rival to Qatar 2022

It is a fact that the Mexican National Team is not experiencing the best historical moment, and after suffering more than necessary to seal its entry into the 2022 Qatar World Cup, a group that will also consist of Poland, Saudi Arabia, and of course, the Argentina National Team.

Regarding the present of `Tri ‘, the commentators are two historical figures of the Mexican National Team; Andres Guardado and Hugo Sanchez. The dialogue took place in the program conducted by the latter. And the declarations of the Betis man, they went viral within minutes.

The midfielder with a past in Valencia -he debuted under the commands of Mauricio Pellegrino-, explained that in his opinion, Mexican soccer, especially at the national team level, has been staking in recent years. The main reason? The release of Conmebol in competitionssuch as the Copa América and Copa Libertadores.

“What I experienced was that at that time we were in third place on the continent and I think all the teams in South America, Panama, the United States, They’ve all grown up and I think not yetafter we ran out of participation in Conmebol, we were stagnant, ”said the Guadalajara native.

The midfielder with an extensive career in European football was also encouraged to talk about a hidden `malinchismo ‘in Mexican soccer, in relation to an extremely critical spirit on the part of the fans, where his return to Mexico is farther away. “There’s a lot of malinchism in Mexico and I’m not saying that to me, but I feel that I am valued more abroad than in Mexico“, he launches.

“For example, Alejandro Irarragorri (president of Atlas) came out to say I wasn’t part of the plans, and then the Sports Director of Betis came out and said‘ we’re happy with Andrés, and we want him to retire here and stay retired because big his contribution to the team´. The heart will take you. But eventually you need to be present where you feel the appreciation“, hill.

So, Andrés Guardado’s statements were added to other great Aztec team figures, which on more than one occasion was against Mexican leaders and their management of soccer. In any case, and despite controversial statements, Guardado is not satisfied with playing four World Cups, and dream to say present in Qatar.

The number of Mexican soccer before and after his “divorce” in Conmebol

About the months of July, they will meet six years of that occasion where the Mexican Football Federation and Conmebol split. The last time `Tri ‘played a Conmebol tournament, surprisingly, was in 2016 with Centennial America’s Cupof which six Concacaf teams are part.

That Copa América, which finally ended in the hands of Chile, seemed like the perfect opportunity rebuild a bond between the two strongest confederations on the continent. Ultimately, the reality is very different, and since then, the Central and North American teams they never played Conmebol competition again.

Before that explosion, the Mexican National Team played 10 America’s Cupsfeatured editions of 1993 and 2001, where they remained runner-up after falling to Argentina and Colombia, respectively. In the Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana, the balance is also positive.

The Mexican cast is controversial 18 editions of the Copa Libertadores, while in the Copa Sudamericana, they did the same even in 4 chances. In the highest contest on the continental, the Aztecs are gathering 3 runners-up. Cruz Azul in 2001, Chivas in 2010 and Tigres in 2015, are about one step away from success.

On the other hand, the Mexicans ’passage to the South American Cup was even better, due to only 4 editions, able to get championship and runner-up. The designation matches Pachuca, who won the cup in 2006. The runner-up matches Pumas, who lost in the final in 2005.

The problem Guardado is talking about, then, lies in the performance of the National Team and the Mexican clubs after its ‘divorce’ at Conmebol. The Betis midfielder ensures that the level of Aztec football has dropped sharply from 2016 to nowbut … The numbers they say?

Since Concacaf and Conmebol split, the Mexican National Team has played the Gold Cup 3 times. His results are not the best. The 2017 edition was undoubtedly the worst of the `Tri ‘in recent years, as those led by Juan Carlos Osorio barely made it to the semifinals, where they fell in Jamaica.

It’s 2019, and in the hands of Tata Martino, Mexico pulled the thorn and was able to beat the United States in the final, to win the Gold Cup. Anyway, in the middle there was the World Cup, where Mexico was surprised to leave Germany, but where they were finally eliminated against Brazil, in the round of 16.

In 2021, Mexico will be hit again when, then draw against Trinidad and Tobago in their Gold Cup debut, recovered and reached the final, but could not compete with the United States. This performance in the Gold Cup, in addition to the poor performances in the Concacaf qualifiers, was shaped by the irregular present of the Mexican National Team, who will face Argentina in the World Cup.