Borgetti: Mexican trio must seize Club World Cup opportunity
Borgetti: Each game will be like a final
Jared Borgetti sits down with FIFA to discuss Club World Cup 2025, the Mexican side’s chances and playing each game in the USA like a final.
See what Mexico legend Jared Borgetti had to say about Club Leon, Monterrey and Pachuca, and the new-look FIFA Club World Cup.
Jared Borgetti is Mexico’s second-highest all-time scorer
El Tri icon is excited about next year’s FIFA Club World Cup
Borgetti spoke to FIFA about the competition and three of his former clubs
Think of Mexico and a global festival of football, and minds will doubtless be drawn to 2026 and the country’s co-hosting of the FIFA World Cup.
However, a year before the planet comes to a standstill to watch the Azteca host that World Cup’s opening match, another star-studded tournament will take place – with no fewer than three Mexican clubs involved.
Club Leon, Monterrey and Pachuca qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.through their Concacaf Champions Cup exploits in recent years, and all three will be aiming to proudly fly the flag for their football-obsessed nation.
In seeking to make an impact, this Mexican trio could draw inspiration from Jared Borgetti, an El Tri legend who enjoyed spells with each of them.
“I wasn’t the best, nor the worst,” the former striker, who scored a then-record 46 times for his national team, told FIFA. “I was a player who simply wanted to play better every game, take advantage of the qualities I was born with and make the best out of them. That took me to a certain position, to enjoy it and be more demanding. And the demands, well, I tried to meet them.”
That same approach, of rising to challenges that will inevitably come in a tournament set to showcase the likes of Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, should – at least according to Borgetti – serve the Mexican trio well.
“I hope they do well. They should certainly prepare as well as possible,” he said. “I think this is a good time for Mexican football, and for these three clubs, to take advantage of this opportunity and leave a good image.
“Right now, I know Monterrey has a very good squad. What Pachuca has done with their simple strengths is spectacular, and Pachuca and Leon are teams who understand what these international competitions are about.
“Pachuca is still the only Mexican club that has won an international tournament [outside Concacaf], in the Copa Sudamericana, so I’m sure they’re not going to waste this chance and will want to do a good job.”
Borgetti was a player who thrived the big stage, most famously when he scored twice – including an ingenious header against Italy – at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
It is no surprise, therefore, to hear that he would have relished the opportunity to play at the new-look, 32-team Club World Cup.
“Absolutely! I would have loved it to be honest,” he enthused. “I think [the new format] is interesting because previously it was done very differently. I think this might be more balanced.
“I understand that every confederation has their own competition… But to be able to play against European, Asian, Arabic, South American clubs is always [a way of] knowing your place. And this competition is going to help Mexican teams and other clubs too. That’s the reality.
“Sometimes we look for the bad in the good, and that sometimes prevents us from enjoying what we have in front of us. I think we have to give this competition its merit.”
