Liverpool are among the teams mooted to have an interest in Mexican sensation Gilberto Mora.
Mexico may have exited the World Cup at the hands of England recently, but the teenager still had plenty of time to impress on the biggest stages.
He is one of the youngest players ever to compete at the tournament, and Liverpool have an interest in securing a deal amid a reported £20m release clause. However, it was suggested in 2025 that the Reds target would actually like to play for Real Madrid.
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Gilberto Mora wants to play for Real Madrid
As quoted by ESPN Deportes in July 2025, Ignacio Ruvalcaba, who was the head of the youth academy at Xolos de Tijuana where Mora got his start, opened up on the player’s desire to line out for Los Blancos.
He said: “He has a dream, which is to play for Real Madrid, but he’s very grounded. He always watches soccer and loves watching Real Madrid.
“He surely sees himself playing there. I think he has a very grounded family; his father has handled it very well, and hopefully we’ll see him succeeding there.
“He does see himself playing there in the future. He loves watching European soccer, and I think he has the quality to play in those leagues.”
Meanwhile, a Xolos de Tijuana coach also shared: “We always joke around with him because he’s a fan of a Spanish team.
“Real Madrid. He always watches their games, and when they win or lose, we make childish bets. We even joke around about technique.”
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Why Gilberto Mora might choose Liverpool over Real Madrid
While Mora does appear to be a big fan of Madrid, moving to the Spanish capital right now might not be in his best interest.
Real have a very strong XI, and it is pretty uncommon for them to give 17-year-olds a regular place in their team.
Instead, he would probably be loaned out and potentially never play a senior game on their books for many years.
At Liverpool, on the other hand, Andoni Iraola has an excellent track record with young talent, as we saw with the likes of Alex Scott at Bournemouth.
Perhaps more crucially, the Reds have a serious lack of midfield talent right now, with Curtis Jones and Alexis Mac Allister’s futures beyond this summer also not clear.
In turn, Mora may be better served signing for Liverpool, where he could actually compete with the likes of Florian Wirtz and Mac Allister for an advanced midfield role.
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