Gilberto Mora (footballer, born 2008)
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gilberto Rafael Mora Zambrano | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 14 October 2008 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Mexico | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Tijuana | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 19 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| Tijuana | |||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Tijuana | 30 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Mexico U15 | 16 | (9) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Mexico U16 | 3 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Mexico U17 | 4 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Mexico | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 April 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 6 July 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
Gilberto Rafael Mora Zambrano (born 14 October 2008) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Liga MX club Tijuana and the Mexico national team.
Early life
Mora was born on 14 October 2008 in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Mexico. He is the son of former footballer Gilberto Mora.[1]
Club career
Mora joined the youth academy of Club Tijuana, and was described as "one of the most outstanding players in the lower divisions of the team".[2] After just a few weeks of training with the first-team, head coach Juan Carlos Osorio included Mora in the squad for the 2024–25 season.[3]
On 19 August 2024, he made his Liga MX debut against Santos Laguna, replacing Efraín Álvarez in the 72nd minute and providing the assist for Jaime Álvarez's goal in Tijuana's 3–1 victory. At 15 years and ten days, Mora became Tijuana's youngest-ever debutant, the third-youngest player to debut in Liga MX, and the youngest player to provide an assist.[2] On 31 August, Mora scored his first goal in Tijuana's 2–1 win over León, becoming the youngest player to score in the Mexican top flight at 15 years and 320 days.[4]
International career
As a youth international, Mora has played for Mexico's under-15, under-16, and under-17 teams. He made sixteen appearances and scored nine goals while playing for the under-15 side, and captained the under-17 team as a 15-year old.
On 16 January 2025, Mora made his debut with the senior side in an unofficial friendly against SC Internacional, making him the youngest player to appear for the national team at 16 years old.
Mora was included in the provisional 60-man list for the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League Finals, and made the 26-man squad for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup. On 28 June, he received a starting berth in the quarter-final match against Saudi Arabia, thereby officially becoming the youngest-ever player to debut for Mexico.[5] He provided his first assist in the next match, the semifinal against Honduras.[6] He then started in the final where Mexico would win their 10th title.
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 20 April 2025[7]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Tijuana | 2024–25 | Liga MX | 30 | 2 | — | — | — | 30 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 2 | ||
International
- As of match played 6 July 2025[7]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 2025 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 0 | |
Honours
Tijuana U14
Mexico
Individual
- Liga MX U14 Top Scorer: Clausura 2023
Records
- Youngest Player Ever to Win a Senior International Tournament[9]
- Youngest Player to score in Liga MX[10]
- Youngest Goalscorer in Liga MX History[11]
- Youngest Player to Debut in Liga MX
- Youngest Player to Score a Goal in the Mexican Top Flight[12]
- Youngest Player to Assist in a Liga MX Debut
- Youngest Player to Debut for the Mexico national team[5]
References
- ^ "¿Quién es Gilberto Mora, hijo de exfutbolista y goleador más joven de la Liga MX?". sopitas.com. 17 September 2024.
- ^ a b "¿Quién es Gilberto Mora? Joya de los Xolos de Tijuana". futboltotal.com.mx. 19 August 2024.
- ^ "Él es Gilberto Mora, el "niño" de 15 años que debutó con Xolos con todo y una asistencia". 18 August 2024. Archived from the original on 14 October 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "¿Quién es Gilberto Mora, el jugador más joven en anotar en la historia de la Liga MX?". Milenio. 31 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Gilberto Mora, oficialmente el jugador más jóven en debutar con México" (in Spanish). ESPN Deportes. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
- ^ "Mexico vs Honduras live score, H2H and lineups | Sofascore". 2025-07-02. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Gilberto Mora at Soccerway
- ^ "United States 1-2 Mexico: Mauricio Pochettino's side beaten in Gold Cup final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ title, Gilberto Mora has made history by becoming the youngest player ever to win a senior international. "Who Is Gilberto Mora and Why Can't He Move to Europe Yet?". beIN SPORTS. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2025-06-29. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ https://prosoccerwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/2024/08/31/gilberto-mora-club-tijuana-youngest-liga-mx-scorer-ever/75033131007/
- ^ "Gilberto Mora's profile: Age, height, career highlights, stats and all about the Mexican winger". Bolavip US. 2025-07-04. Retrieved 2025-07-08.