Gilberto Mora

Gilberto Rafael Mora Zambrano (born 14 October 2008) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Liga MX club Xolos de Tijuana and the Mexico national team.

Early life and personal life Mora was born on 14 October 2008 in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Mexico. He is the son of former footballer Gilberto Mora. He studied high school at the Colegio Alemán Cuauhtémoc Hank in Tijuana, graduating in 2026, although he was unable to be present due to the 2026 FIFA World Cup activities.

Mora will study business administration online at the Anahuac University, beginning Autumn 2026.

Club career Mora joined the youth academy of Club Tijuana, and was described as "one of the most outstanding players in the lower divisions of the team". After just a few weeks of training with the first-team, head coach Juan Carlos Osorio included Mora in the squad for the 2024–25 season.

On 19 August 2024, he made his Liga MX debut against Santos Laguna, replacing Efraín Álvarez in the 72nd minute and provided the assist for Jaime Álvarez's goal in Tijuana's 3–1 victory. At 15 years, ten months and five days old, Mora became Tijuana's youngest-ever debutant, the third-youngest player to debut in Liga MX, and the youngest player to provide an assist.

On 31 July 2025, Mora scored his first brace in Tijuana's 5–2 Leagues Cup defeat against LA Galaxy. On 16 August, returning to Liga MX, Mora scored in his team's 2–0 away victory against Pachuca. On 22 August, Mora scored another brace, this time in a 3–3 draw against Guadalajara.

International career As a youth international, Mora has played for Mexico's under-15, under-16, and under-17 teams. He made sixteen appearances and scored nine goals while playing for the under-15 side, and captained the under-17 team as a 15-year old.

On 16 January 2025, Mora made his debut with the senior side in an unofficial friendly against SC Internacional, a team from Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, making him the youngest player to appear for the national team at 16 years old.

Mora was included in the provisional 60-man list for the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League Finals, and made the 26-man squad for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup. On 28 June, he received a starting berth in the quarter-final match against Saudi Arabia, thereby officially becoming the youngest-ever player to debut for Mexico, aged 16 years and 257 days, surpassing previous record of Luis Ernesto Pérez. In the semi-final, Mora provided his first assist in the 1–0 victory over Honduras. He then started in the final against the United States, where Mexico would win their 10th title, becoming the youngest player ever to lift an international trophy. Later that year, he was called up by coach Eduardo Arce to represent Mexico at the FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Chile.

On 31 May 2026, Mora was called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, becoming the tournament's youngest player. He made his World Cup debut on 11 June, coming on as a substitute against South Africa in the opening match and setting a record as the youngest Mexican player to feature in the tournament, aged 17 years and 240 days, breaking previous record of Manuel Rosas in 1930. He started the round of 32 match against Ecuador, becoming the second-youngest player to start a World Cup knockout match at the age of 17 years and 259 days, behind only Pelé in 1958.

Career statistics Club

International

Honours Mexico CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2025

Individual Liga MX All-Star: 2025, 2026 IFFHS Men's Youth (U20) CONCACAF Best XI: 2025

Records Youngest player ever to win a senior international tournament Youngest goalscorer in Liga MX history Youngest player to debut for the Mexico national team