AC Milan striker Santiago Gim\u00e9nez believes Mexico can defy expectations and lift the World Cup in 2026. Motivated by missing out on Qatar 2022, Gim\u00e9nez embraces his role as a dreamer and leader, convinced that belief, unity, and attacking partnerships – including a potential duo with Ra\u00fal Jim\u00e9nez – can push El Tri toward a historic summer on home soil.<\/p>\n
The AC Milan striker believes Mexico has what it takes to shock the world and lift the FIFA World Cup in 2026, a tournament that will be played on home soil and one he sees as deeply personal after missing out on Qatar 2022.<\/p>\n
“I believe we will make history,” Gim\u00e9nez said in an interview with ESPN. “As I said before, I\u2019m a big dreamer. I want to be a world champion with Mexico.”<\/p>\n
For Gim\u00e9nez, belief is not na\u00efve optimism but a necessary starting point. He insists that dreaming costs nothing, but turning it into reality requires collective conviction.<\/p>\n
“Of course I can see it happening,” he said. “Believing doesn\u2019t cost anything, and neither does dreaming. Now we have to put it into practice and spread that belief to everyone who joins us, because 130 million Mexicans together are strong.”<\/p>\n
The 24-year-old forward also addressed the possibility of forming an attacking partnership with Jim\u00e9nez, a duo that could become one of Mexico\u2019s most dangerous weapons heading into the tournament.<\/p>\n
“I think we\u2019re two strikers who have done very well in Europe, and I believe we make a great partnership,” Gim\u00e9nez explained. “We know each other really well, and whenever we\u2019ve played together, we\u2019ve performed at a high level.”<\/p>\n
Beyond the tactical fit, Gim\u00e9nez highlighted the chemistry and friendship he\u2019s developed with the Fulham striker through their time with the national team.<\/p>\n
“He\u2019s a great friend,” he added. “Sharing moments with him in the national team brought us closer. We even text each other on WhatsApp sometimes. And honestly, I do feel that when opponents see both of us on the field, something happens – defenses react differently.”<\/p>\n
The 2026 World Cup also represents unfinished business for Gim\u00e9nez, who was left out of Mexico\u2019s final squad for Qatar 2022 under then-coach Gerardo Martino, despite being close to making the cut.<\/p>\n
“That experience left a thorn in me,” he admitted. “I\u2019ve dreamed of playing in a World Cup since I was a kid. Being so close last time and not going made that desire even stronger.”<\/p>\n
The thought of the tournament still keeps him awake at night.<\/p>\n
“There are nights when you start thinking and thinking, and you can\u2019t sleep,” Gim\u00e9nez said. “That happens to me a lot when I think about the World Cup. I already see myself there, in the opening match, with all the people, at the Azteca. That image doesn\u2019t let me sleep because I just want it to be there already.”<\/p>\n
Mexico are coming off a 1\u20130 win over Panama in a friendly match played exclusively with Liga MX players. This Sunday, they will face Bolivia as part of a preparation tour requested by manager Javier Aguirre, aimed at evaluating domestic-based players and getting a closer look at Central and South American opponents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
POPULAR SEARCHES BROWSE BY AC Milan striker Santiago Gim\u00e9nez believes Mexico can defy expectations and lift the World Cup in 2026. Motivated by missing out on Qatar 2022, Gim\u00e9nez embraces his role as a dreamer and leader, convinced that belief, unity, and attacking partnerships – including a potential duo with Ra\u00fal Jim\u00e9nez – can push […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2658,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2659\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}