In a time when Trump’s politics has reduced Mexican citizens to an inhumane narrative focused on removing them from USA; Mexico’s football is building their foundation of national pride.
Mexico City is a place that takes your breath away, quite literally. The high altitude of the city and constant appearance of steep hills means that on my trip there I begun to wonder if, at 27 years, old age had crept up on me and my fitness had withered away. A sprawling city bursting to the seams with nine million people; the inequality of wealth is strikingly visual. Metropolitan apartments stand side by side with favelas of what can best be described as huts with barely a roof for cover. The segregation of the city is stark, but as with most countries around the world, there is one common link that unites all aspects of Mexican society: football.
When Hirving Lozano smashed the ball past Germany’s Manuel Neuer, it was reported that Mexico City suffered a small earthquake owing to the celebrations of fans. Mexico is no stranger to earthquakes in recent times, so scientifically it’s unlikely that fans caused the one on Sunday morning in Mexico City, yet it’s an apt analogy for what was a seismic result for ‘’El Tri’’, a possible defining moment, when the perennial underachievers arrived on the world stage.
Mexico as a nation has a population of around 127 million, and football is a lifestyle there. It’s a country that breathes the sport, and when you factor in the Mexican population within neighbouring USA, which stands at over 35 million, that’s a remarkably large pool of footballing fans for the team. The side have qualified for every edition of the FIFA World Cup since 1994 and hosted the event in both 1970 and 1986, earning the national 87,000 capacity stadium, Estadio Azteca, the status of one of the world’s great stadiums.