Is Gerardo Martino getting pressured to call Marcelo Flores to Mexico National Team?

Even if the game between Mexico National Team and Guatemala MNT ended in a scoreless draw on the pitch of Camping World Stadium on Wednesday night, one of the brightest sides of the game was the second appearance of Marcelo Flores with El Tri.

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This was his second cap with the Mexican national team after debuting against Chile back in December, on a game that ended on a 2-2 tie, where Gerardo “Tata” Martino gave him under ten minutes on the pitch even if there was nothing at stakes.

The story was different against the Chapines, as Gerardo Martino wasn’t on the sideline given that he couldn’t travel with the team to Orlando, Florida, and Jorge Theiler, who assumed the coaching position, gave him over 30 minutes of playing time.

But given that it was a close game that was stuck mostly on the midfield, Marcelo had few opportunities to display his talent, as he only had one dribble. He tried to get involved in different ways, as he moved to the right side of the pitch to play more open, but he didn’t succeed.

Martino doesn’t want him in El Tri

Although this was his second game with the Mexican national team and he only need to play in one more to ensure his allegiance to Mexico -as he needed to play either three friendly games or one official match-, Gerardo Martino isn’t fully convinced of wanting him as part of his roster.

Although he is aware of Flores’s talent, Martino said that the 18-year-old offensive midfielder first has to make up his mind about with which team he wants to play before starting to demand being called-up to the World Cup, in reference to Marcelo’s interview when he said that if Canada calls him to the World Cup and Mexico doesn’t, he’d agree to play for the Maple Leaf.

But Yon de Luisa and FMF know that they can’t let go a talent like Flores, not only for the things that he can contribute on the pitch, but also because he’s becoming a sponsors magnet given the popularity he has within the Mexican followers.

Will Flores be on the roster for Qatar 2022?

Flores recently signed a sponsorship contract with Adidas, brand that also sponsors the Mexican national team, as they know that he can become a profitable investment in the near future, which is why FMF will pressure Martino to have him on the final roster.

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