The great dilemma of Mexican football

As talented as young Mexican superstars may be, they will never attain heights of those playing in the European leagues around the world. For years the Mexican football team has been static, exiting every World Cup in the round of 16 since 1994. Every 4 years it is the same story. Is it the coach? Is it the federation? It can inevitably be down to the league itself.

From a young age, players dream to achieve in Europe. Look at the rise of Kylian Mbappe, an unknown teenager unearthed by Monaco literally taking over the world at the age of 19. The French national team won the World Cup with the second youngest squad of the tournament, built from talent and defensive solidity.

Youngsters from the squad have risen through European youth setups to achieve on the grandest stage. If we look at the Mexican Squad, we see the necessary talent, but a lack of ambition beyond Hirving Lozano. Lozano took over the Mexican league as a teenager and fulfilled his ambition of playing in Europe once he had signed for PSV.

Yet, not enough teams in Europe want to take a chance on other stars like Edson Alvarez and Erick Gutierrez. Could this be due to a lack of cooperation from Mexican teams when it comes to transfer fees and wages? Youngsters will inevitably be offered more in the Liga MX and Mexican team undoubtedly ask for too much when it comes to selling in the first place.

Nestor Araujo just joined Spanish side Celta and yet you feel like he joined them a bit too late at 26 (keep in mind ex Monterrey boss Antonio Mohammed is their coach). Think about the player Araujo could have been had he moved on from a younger age.

European players adapt to the European way from a young age and are better suited to the rigors of high-quality football. Mexicans players, although talented, faceless quality and more so stay stagnant and never truly develop into world-class footballers because of what the teams in Mexico offer, comfort.

Teenagers fear becoming the next Giovani dos Santos or Carlos Vela, players that promised so much and yet displayed their talents at mid-table teams, ending up in the United States while in their prime. They had all the talent to succeed and yet you feel there was a lack of ambition on their part to succeed in Europe. It is one thing to play in Europe but another to succeed.

There is a need to follow the example of Hirving, leaving the comfort of Mexico to truly develop into the superstar he was born to become. Only then will Mexico succeed in creating a team worthy of the national stage because "Chucky" can not do it alone.