Mexico national team wonderkid Gilberto Mora’s move to European soccer seems to only be a matter of time, but agent Rafaela Pimenta admitted she’s going to make a concentrated effort in making his transfer “very expensive.”
Teams such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester City have been linked with the 17-year-old gem, something the creative midfielder has already spoken about. However, Pimenta is adamant that landing Mora won’t be cheap, warning teams not to undervalue the gem simply because of where he plays and what national team he represents.
“Something that irritates me a lot,” Pimenta told Claro Sports. “Why can a player that plays in Brazil cost $80 million, but if you’re in Mexico you cost $8 million? The Brazilian league is 10-times better than Liga MX? No, that’s not true.
“So today, a purpose exists, in my opinion, that Europeans [teams] want to convince Mexicans [players] that they can’t have that [transfer] value. Why? because it’s convenient for them to keep the price-tag low. I experience this with Gil [Mora].
“I am going to make all the effort to sell Gilberto at a very high price. Because if he is very expensive, he will be very respected.”
Mora currently plays for boyhood team Club Tijuana in Liga MX and he cannot migrate to Europe until he comes of age. According to CIES Football Observatory, Mora’s value is €17.1 million ($20.3 million); if he does earn such a fee to leave Tijuana, he’d become the most expensive outgoing transfer in Liga MX history.
But even that sum might not be enough in Pimenta’s eyes considering back in October she famously said, “With €15 million ($17.4 million) I can’t even buy one of Gilberto Mora’s legs.” But even aside from the price tag, there’s another major factor Pimenta is considering when analyzing Mora’s future home.
Gilberto Mora Looking For ‘Ideal Home’ to Continue Development
A number of young Mexican talents over the years have moved to Europe only to see their development completely stall, never reaching their full potential. Pimenta is aware of this and admitted that finding a team where Mora can continue to mature as a player will play a major role in his future.
“We’re not in a hurry,” Pimenta revealed. “We have to be thinking, teams want him, yes, but what is the ideal place where he can truly develop. At this age [17], you cannot be the best player on your team. If you are the best, you have to change clubs to something bigger.
“Because this is an age for evolution and development, it’s not an age where you should be the boss. He has to be the kid that looks up at others and says, ‘I want to be like him,’ or else his development will stall.”
Pimenta is the agent of big-name players such as Erling Haaland and Paul Pogba. She also works with fellow young Mexican talents Santiago Giménez and Obed Vargas, helping the latter recently complete a move to Atlético Madrid.
Pimenta will continue to work on Mora’s future behind the scenes for the time being. Meanwhile, the teenage sensation is currently recovering from a groin injury that’s nagged him since the start of the year.
Still, barring any major setbacks, Mora is expected to play a prominent role for Mexico in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Strong performances in the tournament could inflate his eventual transfer value to unprecedented heights for a Mexican player.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Gilberto Mora’s Agent Sends Clear Transfer Warning to Real Madrid, Other European Giants.
