Mexico Greatest All-time 23 member team

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram

Confederation Cup 1999

 

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

South America without Brazil and Argentina.
Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Peru, Colombia,
Chile, Paraguay, Ecuador
Bolivia, Venezuela

All-CONCACAF
USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador
Central America without Costa Rica and Honduras.

Canada, Trinidad & Tobago
Canada or Canadian born Players
Jamaica/Jamaican Diaspora, British Jamaicans

Jamaica international

Caribbean Countries

This is my all-time team for Mexico. If there were an All-Time World Cup, this would be the 23 players I would bring to the tournament.  

Mexico successfully hosted a WC in 1970, but it was Hugo Sanchez who put Mexico on the football map.  He starred for Real Madrid in the 1980's and led "El Tri" to the quarterfinal of the WC in 1986. In 1990's, Mexico enjoyed a period of successes.  They first reached the Final of Copa America in 1993, followed by great runs at the WC in 1994 and 1998.  In 1999, they won the Confederation Cup. In 2000's, Mexico also did well, but expectations are much higher.  They managed to win the Gold medal at the Olympics.

If there were an All-Time World Cup, this would be the 23 players I would bring to the tournament.  The team is not an All-Star team. I tried to be as realistic as possible.   A few of the players are selected for tactical reasons at the expense of more famous players.

World Cup 1986

Team
GK: Jorge Campos
From Acapulco, Jorge Campos was known for his colorful attire and his stint as an effective forward for his club team.  He was the most iconic goalkeeper and Mexican footballer of his generation. He played in two World Cup Finals (1994 and 1998) and won the 1999 Confederation Cup.  He was capped 130 times between 1991 and 2004.  He played mainly in Mexico. His longest career was with UNAM. He also played in the MLS.  

GK: Antonio Carbajal
Antonio Carbajal was the first player to play in 5 World Cup Finals from 1950 to 1966.  That record was equaled by German player Lothar Matthäus in 1998 and by Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon in 2014.  He was also called "El Cinco Copas", in reference to his record of five World Cups played.  He was capped 48 times.  He played with Club Espana, but spent most of his cub career with Leon in Mexico.

Antonio Carbajal

GK: Guillermo Ochoa  

Guillermo Ochoa made his debut for Club América in 2004, making over 200 appearances for them. He was the first Mexican goalkeeper to make an impact in Europe. He spent 3 seasons with Ajaccio in France between 2011 and 2014. He then played for Málaga, Granada and Standard Liège. In 2019, he returned to America. Since 2005, he had 122 caps for Mexico.  He went to five World Cup Finals (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022).

 

CB/RB: Ricardo Osorio 

Ricardo Osorio played with Cruz Azul before going to play in Germany.  He was the starting righback for Stuttgart when they won the Bundesliga in 2007.  He played with them from 2006 to 2010.  In Mexico, he played with Cruz Azul and Monterrey. He had 82 caps between 2003 and 2010.  He was also a key player for Mexico at the World Cup in 2006 and 2010.

CB:  Claudio Suarez

Nicknamed "El Emperador",  Claudio Suarez is the Mexico's cap record holder with 178(third all-time in the world).  He went to three World Cup Finals, where he had a big role in 1994 and 1998.  ISuárez began his club career with UNAM Pumas, where he played from 1988 to 1996 where he became champion in 1991. He moved to Guadalajara as an important piece for the 1996 Apertura, and remained there for 3 years  He played Chivas USA in the MLS between 2006 and 2009.

Claudio Suarez

CB:  Rafael Marquez  

Rafael Marquez is one of the best players in Mexico's history.  He started his career with Atlas before moving to play in Europe, notably with Monaco and Barcelona.  He was the first Mexican to win the European Champions' League. He is the first player ever to captain his national team in four consecutive World Cup Finals, captaining Mexico in the 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. He had a total of 146 caps for Mexico between 1997 and 2018.  He won two Gold Cup in 2003 and 2011. 

DM/CB: Raul Cardenas 
Raul Cárdenas played for C.D. Guadalajara, Club Deportivo Marte and Puebla F.C., before joining Zacatepec for 10 seasons.  He played in three World Cup Finals: 1954, 1958 and 1962. He also competed for Mexico at the 1948 Summer Olympics. He is best remembered for the being the coach for Mexico in the 1970 World Finals.  He had a total of 37 caps.  He was on IFFHS CONCACAF Men's Team of All Time.

 

CB: Gustavo Pena

Nicknamed "El Halcon", Gustavo Pena was the captain of "El Tri" at the World Cup Finals in 1966 and 1970.  He scored the only goal of the match against Belgium at the World Cup Finals in 1970 that hepled Mexico to reach the second round for the first time. He earned 82 caps for Mexico between 1961 and 1974. He played for nearly twenty years in the Primera División de México with Oro, Cruz Azul, Monterrey and Club de Fútbol Laguna. He was inducted to the Hall of Fame of Mexican football in 2019. 

Gustavo Pena

CB/DM/RB/LB: Carlos Salcido

Carlos Salcido played 124 times for Mexico between 2004 and 2014. He played in three World Cups: 2006, 2010, 2014, and three Gold Cups: 2005, 2007, 2011.  He was a part of the Mexican team that won the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.  He started his career with Guadalajara. He also found successes with PSV Eindhoven, Fulham and UANL.  

DM/LB/LW:  Ramon Ramirez
Ramon Ramirez was a left winger and attack midfielder for his club, but played mainly as a leftback for Mexico.  He was one of Mexico's most capped players.  He had 121 caps between 1991 and 2000. He played in both 1994 and 1998 World Cup Finals.  He also won CONCACAF Gold Cup in 1993, 1996 and 1998.  For his domestic career, he played his club football in Mexico and in the United States.  His best years were spent with Guadalajara.

Ramon Ramirez

RB/DM/CM: Pavel Pardo

Pavel Pardo spent most of his career playing with Club América and is the second most capped player for Mexico with 146 caps. Pardo participated in two World Cups (1998 and 2006), won two CONCACAF Gold Cups and won the FIFA Confederations Cup with "El Tri" in 1999.  He was voted the fifth best player in the Bundesliga in 2007 when he won the league with Stuttgart. 

DM: Gerardo Torrado

Torrado represented Mexico at the 2002, 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups and has won three CONCACAF Gold Cup tournaments.  From 1999 to 2013, he played 144 times for Mexico.  After débuting for UNAM in 1997, Torrado played in Spain with CD Tenerife, Sevoilla and Racing Club Santender. The majority of his career was with Cruz Azul. 

AM/LW/LB: Andrés Guardado
Popularly known as Principito (Spanish for Little Prince), Andrés Guardado started with Atlas. Then he played with Deportivo La Coruna for 5 seasons between 2007 and 2012 and then, Valencia for 3 seasons.  He won two Eredivisie titles with PSV. He also played with Real Betis. He represented Mexico in five World Cups,and two Copa Americas. He won 4 Gold Cups in 2011, 2015 and 2019.  He won over 150 caps.

AM: Alberto García Aspe
Alberto García Aspe was an icon of the 1990's.  He is one of the all-time appearance leaders for the Mexico national team. He participated in 109 matches, scoring a total 21 goals. He made his international debut against Guatemala in 1989. He played in 3 World Cup Finals from 1994 to 2002, earning over 100 caps. For his club career, García Aspe played for UNAM Pumas, Necaxa, Argentine club River Plate, América, and Puebla.  His career with River Plate was very short. 

Alberto García Aspe

AM:  Luis de la Fuente
Luis de la Fuente was the first Mexican player to play in four countries (Mexico, Spain, Paraguay and Argentina).  After he played in the World Cup Finals in 1934, he went to play in Spain with Racing Club de Santander.  He also played with Club Atlético Corrales in Paraguay and Vélez Sarsfield in Argentina.  He was widely considered to be one of Mexico's greatest players.

RW/LW: Hirving Lozano

Lozano began his career with Pachuca, winning the 2016 Clausura and the 2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League.  In 2017, he signed for PSV Eindhoven.  In 2019, Lozano signed for Napoli for a reported €42 million, making him the most expensive Mexican player of all time. He starred at the 2018 World Cup Finals. He was the CONCACAF Player of the year in 2018.

FW/WF:  Salvador Reyes
Salvador Reyes was Chivas de Guadalajara's all-time top scorer with 122 goals. He was the last member from the club to win Campeon de Goleo (Goal scorer champion) until Omar Bravo won it on April 28, 2007.  He had 49 caps.  He played in three World Cups: 1958, 1962 and 1966. It had been 45 years since a player from Guadalajara won the Campeon de Goleo.

SS/FW: Cuauhtemoc Blanco
Cuauhtemoc Blanco was part of the Mexican national team at France '98, Korea-Japan 2002 and South Africa 2010.  He won the Silver Ball and the Silver Shoe awards in the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, where Mexico won. He is tied with Ronaldinho as the all-time leading Confederations Cup goalscorer.  He is also remembered for the Cuauhtemiña (also spelled Cuauhteminha), or Blanco Trick, which he performed notably at the 1998 World Cup.

Cuauhtemoc Blanco

ST: Luis Hernandez
Known by his nickname "El Matador", Luis Hernandez was among the top scorers at France 1998. He was also Mexico's highest scorer in the World Cup Finals.  He was twice named Mexico's Player of the Year in 1997 and 1998. Hernández played with Querétaro F.C., Cruz Azul, C.F. Monterrey, Necaxa, Club América, UANL Tigres, CD Veracruz, and Chiapas in Mexico. He had a very unproductive stint with Boca Juniors.  He also played with LA Galaxy.

  

ST: Jared Borgetti

With 46 goals, Borgetti is the second all-time leading goal scorer (behind Javier Hernández) of Mexico. He is the Santos Laguna top goal scorer with 205 goals. He was popularly known by the nickname of El Zorro del Desierto ("The Desert Fox") in reference to his debut team, Atlas, and his birthplace. He also played for  English club Bolton Wanderers.

ST: Javier Hernandez 
Javier Hernandez began his career in 2006, playing for Guadalajara, before becoming the first Mexican player to join Manchester United in July 2010. He spent the 2014–15 season on loan to Real Madrid, and then moved permanently to Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.  At the time of writing, he has over 100 caps for Mexico. His father also played for Mexico at the 1986 World Cup Finals.  His grandfather from the mother side represented Mexico in the 1954 World Cup Finals.

Chicharito

ST: Horacio Casarin 
Horacio Casarin was a football icon in 1940's and 1950's.  He was Atlante's greatest player.   He also played for Necaxa, Leon, Asturias, Club América, Real España, CF Monterrey and Zacatepec in his country, as well as FC Barcelona in Spain.  He represented his country at the 1950 FIFA World Cup held in Brazil and scored a goal during the run of the tournament.

ST: Hugo Sanchez 
Hugo Sanchez is considered to be the best Mexican player of all-time. He is remembered for his career in Spain where he played for both Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.  He won 5 straight Pichichi title in Spain.  With Real Madrid, he won five consecutive league titles (from the 1985-86 to 1989-90 season), the Copa del Rey in 1989, and the UEFA Cup in 1986, playing alongside La Quinta del Buitre .  The team was the dominant team in Spain during the 1980's. His nickname was "Hugoal".

Hugo Sanchez 

Honorable Mention
Oswaldo Sanchez, Jaime Gómez, Pablo Larios, Oscar Pérez Rojas, Ignacio Calderon, Salvador Carmona, Raúl Servín, José Villegas 

Arturo Vazquez Ayala, Alfredo Ten, Francisco Rodríguez, Guillermo Sepúlveda, Héctor Moreno, Jesus Del Muro, Fernando Quirarte, Javier Guzmán, José Antonio Roca, Manuel Alonso Pria, Miguel España, Zague, Giovanni dos Santos, Luis Flores, Ignacio Flores,  Adalberto Lopez, Benjamin Galindo, Héctor Herrera, Luis Garcia, Tomás Boy, Enrique Borja, Carlos Hermosillo, Boy, Carlos Vela, Guille Franco, Duilio Davino, Ignacio Ambríz.

Squad Explanation
-- The original team was created in November, 2014.  I did in dept review of the team in December, 2021 seven years after its creation.  I expanded this section.  The biggest chances came from the defense.  I then did another big review in June, 2023.  

-- Mexico was difficulty because many of the players played well in multi-position.

-- Hugo Sanchez, Luis de la Fuente, Rafael Marquez and Cuauhtemoc Blanco were Mexico's greatest players.  They were automatic selections. Claudio Suarez was also close to certain.

-- Gustavo Peña was the only member of their 1970 World Cup team selected.  He was their captain. It was their first time ever reaching the second round. The 1986 team featured more players on the original teams.  I had Fernando Quirarte, Hugo Sanchez and Manuel Negrete. After the two reviews, only Hugo Sanchez was left.

-- Until in recent years, Mexican players tended to stay home and play in their domestic league.  Hugo Sanchez was the greatest ever Mexican footballer. He was one of the few players before 2000's to play overseas.  He made a big impact while playing in Spain.  Of course, I did study the club performance of individual players playing in Europe, but I did try to make a balance. Most players, however, played outside of Mexico at one point.

-- Mexico's performances at World Cup Finals were very steady.  They did not have any golden team.  From 1994 to 2018, they reached the round of 16 every time, but failed to go beyond that stage.  When they hosted the World Cup Finals in 1970 and 1986, they reached the quarter-final. Their best international result might be the Confederation Cup in 1999.  The Gold Medal at London 2012 was also very big.

-- The 1999 Confederation team was well-represented here.  I selected the following players: Jorge Campos, Pavel Pardo, Alberto García Aspe, Claudio Suarez, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Rafael Márquez and Luis Hernandez. Those group of players also performed well in the 1998 World Cup Finals, where they drew with Netherlands and Belgium before going out against Germany in the quarterfinal.

-- IFFHS's Mexico's All-Time Best XI Dream team was as followed: Antonio Carbajal, Gustavo Peña, Rafael Márquez, Claudio Suárez, Ramón Ramírez, Raúl Cárdenas, Benjamín Galindo, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Salvador Reyes, Hugo Sánchez and Luis de la Fuente.  They also created the CONCACAF Men's All Time Team in 2021 with 8 Mexicans on it.  The eight were Antonio Carbajal, Rafael Márquez, Claudio Suárez, Carlos Salcedo, Raúl Cárdenas, Andres Guardado, Hugo Sánchez and Luis de la Fuente.  Somehow Carlos Salcedo and Andres Guardado did not make their Mexico All-Time team.

-- The AS came up with greatest Mexican XI at the World Cup Finals.  They were Jorge Campos, Claudio Suarez, Rafael Márquez, Fernando Quirarte, Ramón Ramírez, Miguel España, Alberto García Aspe, Andrés Guardado, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Javier Hernández and Luis Hernandez.  Only two players came from their 1986 team while none from the 1970.  Hugo Sanchez had two quiet World Cup Finals.

Goalkeepers

-- Jorge Campos was the most recognized Mexican keeper in history. His flamboyant style of goalkeeping made him famous around the world. He was probably the most famous Mexican player after Hugo Sanchez and Rafael Marquez.   It should be noted that IFFHS named him as the best goalkeeper in the world in 1993. Most Mexican sources still ranked him as number one.  So he was more than the looks.

Jorge Campos

-- Antonio Carbajal held the World Cup record for playing in the most Finals for many years.  That record was equaled by Lothar Matthäus, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and three more of his compatriots, Rafael Márquez, Guillermo Ochoa and Andrés Guardado. "El Cinco Copas" went to the World Cup Finals of 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962 and 1966, as well as attending the 1948 London Olympics .

-- When I created this team in 2014, Guillermo Ochoa had three great World Cup runs, earning him an honorable mention.  He was the first Mexican goalkeeper to play and succeed in Europe. So in 2021, I dropped Oswaldo Sanchez for him. And since then, he have already participated in 5 World Cup Finals.  By 2023, some people considered that he may be the greatest ever.

-- Oswaldo Sanchez played in three World Cup Finals in 1998, 2002 and 2006, earning 99 caps. He was voted the best keeper in Mexico for 7 times.  He played at the same time as Jorge Campos.  He was perhaps more steady than Campos, but he did not get the international recognition.  Dropping him was a big decision.

-- I also looked at Pablo Larios, Ignacio Calderon, Jaime Gómez and Oscar Pérez Rojas

Defenders

-- For rightbacks, I took both Pável Pardo and Ricardo Osorio due to their careers with Stuttgart.  Pardo was mainly a defensive midfielder, but I wanted to keep an extra player in a different position.  Osorio established himself playing in an European league. Not many Mexican fullbacks have done that.  Ignacio Flores from the 1978 World Cup team was described as one of Mexico's greatest defenders, but I put him on honorable mention only.  Salvador Carmona was banned for life due to doping. I would not say that it did not affect my decision, but I prefered Pardo and Osorio based upon their club careers.  José Villegas was immortalised for defending Garrincha in a 1962 World Cup match.  However, he was an old fashion right-sided central defender.

-- Both Ramon Ramirez and Carlos Salcido were considered to be Mexico's greatest fullbacks.  Ramirez started as a midfielder, but Miguel Mejía Barón decided to move him to the leftback where he shone the most.   Salcido started his career as a centreback and played most of it as left-back and rightback, then converted to defensive midfielder and ended it as centreback.  I had yet to figure his best position. Arturo Vázquez Ayala was another famous leftback.  He made honorable mention. Andrés Guardado also operated as a left wingback.  So I had three players who could play here.

-- Claudio Suarez is the Mexico's cap record holder with 178 (third all-time in the world). He captained the 1999 Confederation Cup team.  Rafael Marquez was probably the greatest Mexican defender and the most decorated Mexican player playing in Europe since Hugo Sanchez.   Then, I took Gustavo Peña. He was nicknamed El Halcón for his aerial power. He captained Mexico’s 1966 and 1970 World Cup team.  In 1970, he scored the goal that gave Mexico’s first qualification to the knockout stages in a World Cup.  The IFFHS put Raul Cardenas as a midfielder for their All-Time team for CONCACAF and Mexico, but he was mainly a centreback.  Because of him, I also freed an extra space for another position.  Carlos Salcido was also more of centreback than a fullback. The position was well-covered.

Rafael Marquez

-- In 2014 when I created the team, I had Guillermo Sepúlveda and Jesus Del Muro as my central defenders.  I did not see much of Del Muro's name mentioned when I did a review of the team in 2021.  When I did the review in 2021, Fernando Quirarte's name kept coming up.  I also looked into Javier Guzman, Alfredo Ten, Francisco Rodríguez, Guillermo Sepúlveda and Héctor Moreno. Moreno was voted into the IFFHS's CONCACAF team of the decade for 2011-2020.  I put them on honorable mention for now.  

-- During his career, Jesus Del Muro played for CD Atlas (1954-1965), Veracruz (1965), Cruz Azul (1966, 1971) and Toluca (1969, 1973).  He made his debut with Mexico in 1958.  He had 40 caps between 1958 and 1968. He appeared in three World Cup Finals for Mexico 1958, 1962 and 1966, and played in 7 matches.

-- Guillermo Sepúlveda played in the 1958 and 1962 World Cup Finals.  Known as a strong and aggressive defender, he started his career at Club Deportivo Guadalajara and was a member of "Campeonísimo", a team that won 7 league titles in a decade. In 1966 he was part of the Jabatos de Nuevo León and for 1968 he joined the Club Deportivo Oro.

Midfielders/Wingers

-- I had three fullbacks who could operate in the defensive midfield position.  Ramon Ramirez could also play as a leftback or left wing.  Pavel Pardo were more of a midfielder than a fullback.  He was the first Mexican to star in the Bundesliga.  He is the 4th most capped Mexican player with 146 caps.  I probably won't use Carlos Salcido in this position, but he would be a good backup. 

-- I needed an extra defensive midfielders since two of my defensive midfielders were better fullbacks.  So I took Gerardo Torrado who was as good as Pardo if not better.  I did not have a spot for Miguel España. 

-- For attack midfielders,  I first took Luis de la Fuente. He was the first Mexican who played professionally outside Mexico (see José Ramón Sauto below). He was basically Mexico's first idol in football.  Then, I selected Alberto García Aspe and Andres Guardado.  Both were mentioned frequently.  Aspe played in some of Mexico's most important tournaments.  Andrés Guardado is Mexico's most capped player.  He started as left wing or leftback before switching to the midfield later in his career.  

Andrés Guardado

-- Benjamin Galindo could use both feet, which was a rare talent.   He also played 697 games in Liga MX, but I had three attack midfielders on the team.  I decided to use his spot for another more defensive midfielder.  He was the best player not selected. Héctor Herrera, Luis Garcia and Tomás Boy were seriously considered.  

-- In 2014, I went with Manuel Negrete who was remembered for his half-volley goal in the 1986 World Cup Finals.  He also was one of the few Mexicans to play in Europe in that generation.  However, he was not ranked by anybody.  So I dropped him in 2021.  He had 57 caps between 1981 and 1990. He was also one of the first Mexicans to play in Europe when he moved to Sporting CP in Portugal and then, Sporting de Gijon in Spain.  In Mexico, his main club was UNAM Pumas.

-- José Ramón Sauto spent 11 seasons with Real Madrid in the 1930's. He was the first Mexican-born player to play in Spain.  Sometimes, historians credited Luis de la Fuente as the first Mexican who played professionally outside Mexico because Sauto came to Spain at a young age.  His Mexican roots were sometimes forgotten. According to a report, Sauto was detained during the Spanish Civil War.  One of the guards who was a Real Madrid fans recognized him and allowed him to escape. I put him on honorable mention.

-- The team badly needed someone on the right. As a teenager, Giovani dos Santos was considered a prodigy in Barcelona, but his potential went unfulfilled. Luis Garcia who was mainly a forward could also play wide right, but his European club experience was mixed.  Both could have been the missing pierce on the wide right for this team, but I did not select neither of them.  Hirving Lozano already won CONCACAF Player of the year in 2018, and he was named in the IFFHS CONCACAF Team of the Decade for 2011-2020.  He was on the second team for their CONCACAF Dream team.  He was listed as a left wing, but most of his highlights showed him on the right.  Against Germany in the 2018 World Cup Finals, he operated on the left and became the Man of the Match in a famous upset.  He coudl cover both sides of the wings.  On the left, I already had Andrés Guardado and Ramon Ramirez.

Forwards

-- Because several players could play in different positions, many areas of the field was well-covered.  So I could select 7 forwards.

-- Hugo Sanchez, Horacio Casarin and Cuauhtemoc Blanco were automatic selections.  Casarin was Atlante's greatest player. He also played for Barcelona FC between 1948 and 1950.  Cuauhtemoc Blanco helped Mexico to win the Confederation Cup in 1999, the highest honour for Mexico.  I also selected him for his "Blanco Trick".  He added "fun" to the game of football. I saw this as a "contribution" to the game.

Horacio Casarin 

-- Javier Hernandez is one of the few Mexicans to have played for big clubs.  He played with both Manchester United and Real Madrid, but he had both up and downs with both clubs. He did not earn superstar status with either club, but he still deserved to be on the team.  He was known as a player who scored important goals as a player off the bench.  As of 2021, he is Mexico's all-time leading scorer.  Most lists placed him as one of the top 5 greatest ever from this country.

-- Salvador Reyes was Chivas de Guadalajara's all-time top scorer with 122 goals. He was in the World Cups in Sweden 1962, Chile 1962 and England 1966. At the age of 72, he played 50 seconds with Chivas as a tribute in an official match. He was a wing forward who could also play on the wide. Luis Hernandez left a strong impression at France 1998. He was Mexico's all-time scorer in the World Cup Finals.  Borgetti is El Tri's second top scorer with 46 goals.  So I took them over Carlos Hermosillo.  

-- Carlos Hermosillo was supposed to be on the same level as Luis Hernandez, but this team already had too many forwards. I also considered Manuel Alonso Pría. Pría came to Racing Santander with Luis de la Fuente in 1934. He played five games for the Mexican national team, in which he scored seven goals.  In the end, I did not know how to rate him. So I only put him on honorable mention.

-- FW/WF Carlos Vela declared to represent El Tri on many occasions.  It was not the main factor that I did not consider him.  Besides, this team is overloaded with attackers.  

-- Jorge Campos also played forward, but he was not selected for that. 

2012 Olympic Gold Medal

Starting lineup 

Formation 4-2-3-1  
Jorge Campos might no longer be the best Mexican keeper ever, but I will start him. Blanco could move up and play as a secondary striker behind Sanchez. Ramirez normally played leftback for Mexico, but I pushed him to the midfield where he could provide more width to the attack.  I could also use Andrés Guardado as a left wingback. He could play on the left instead of Luis de la Fuente who might not be comfortable there.