The Mexican National Team has always had a decent share of top-notch young talent. The most apparent evidence is the two U-17 World Cup trophies they lifted in 2005 and 2011, respectively. Most of these players were Mexican born, and to Mexican parents, however, Giovani dos Santos was an exception. He was born to a Brazilian father who had emigrated to play in the Mexican Primera Division. Gio and his brother, Jonathan, along with Carlos Vela, were destined to take Mexico to the “Quinto Partido” and beyond, but we all know that has not happened.

Nery Castillo to the rescue

Then came Nery Castillo, who was born in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, to an Uruguayan footballer. The Mexican Federation “somehow” became aware that a player from Olympiacos in Greece had been tearing-up the nets and quickly lured him to the Mexican National Team. Every Mexican football fan remembers the splash he made in the 2007 Copa America. His performance versus Brazil will go down as one for the ages.

Castillo’s moment of glory was short-lived. After his transfer to Shakhtar Donetsk, Nery’s career took a downhill spiral. One that did not allow him to recover.

Those are only a hand full of young players that have been regarded as Mexico’s “future”, but the truth is that it is going to take more than one player to change El Tri’s fortune.

Is Luka Romero the one?

Luka Romero is 15 years old. He was born in the city of Durango in Mexico, where his Argentinian father was playing for Los Alacranes de Durango back in 2004. The only tie that Luka now has to Mexico is that he was born there, but does he consider himself Mexican? Though we haven’t heard it from the horse’s mouth, the Mexican press seems to think so, as they have coined him the nickname of “Mexican Messi.” What does that even mean? As Super Mojado said recently during an episode of the ETO Podcast, “how many “Mexican Messis” have we already gone through?” It is hard to say at this point; one thing is for sure; his father, Diego, does not like it. He said in an interview that the comparisons with Messi create a lot of pressure on a young man like his son.

Luka continues to make headlines. His latest one, saw him become the youngest player ever to step on a Li Liga pitch. On June 24, at the age of 15 and 219 days, he broke the record versus Real Madrid when he got subbed into the game.

One thing that Mexican soccer fans must understand is that Romero has already played for Argentina at the U-15 level, second, he also has the opportunity to represent Spain, as he is a Spanish passport holder. Mexico would likely be his last option, as again, he has no ties to the Mexican country other than a birth certificate.

Failure or success, does the media deserve credit?

Regardless of what happens with Romero and where he ends up playing, there is still a lot of time of learning and development that he must go through. The media will continue to keep a close eye on him, but could the media’s voracity to young stars create the next spoiled player? One who ultimately amounts to mediocrity? Or will the media’s coverage help create opportunities that otherwise Luka may not have had? There’s a lot of questions on the plate, but plenty of time for them to be answered. One thing is for sure; we’ll be watching. We’re always in the search for the next big star, especially if it means there’s a chance he could end up with El Tri.