Mexico’s head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino has decided to include Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Raul Jimenez as part of his 26-man squad for the 2022 World Cup despite the player’s recent recovery from injury. This list was cut down from an initial 31-player list that was announced earlier this month.
Sevilla’s Jesus “Tecatito” Corona was unable to be included in the final roster after it was determined that he would be unable to recover from a fractured fibula in time for the World Cup. Also excluded from the final squad list are Erick Sanchez, Jesus Angulo, Diego Lainez, and Santiago Gimenez.
Gimenez’s absence has been viewed as highly controversial as the player is currently the joint-top scorer in the Europa League. With regards to Gimenez’s exclusion, Martino commented that “sometimes, you have to look beyond the goals,” adding that the player has had few minutes this season.
The exclusion of Lainez has also raised eyebrows, considering the impact that the left-winger had on Mexico’s World Cup qualifying results. In terms of club football, however, Lainez has lacked minutes on the field.
Mexico will play Sweden in a friendly on November 16 before heading to Qatar, where their opening group stage game will be against Poland on November 22.
