The midfielder of the Mexican national team repeated Pele's record at the age of 17

Mexico's midfielder Gilberto Mora has repeated the historic achievement of Brazilian footballer Pele at the World Championships. This was announced on July 1 by the Opta analytical service.

In the 1/16 finals match against Ecuador, the 17-year-old was part of the starting line-up of the Mexican national team. Morata spent 59 minutes on the field. The Mexican midfielder became the second player under the age of 18 in history to start the 2026 World Cup playoff stage in the main squad.

Previously, the only football player with such an achievement was Pele. In 1958, the legendary Brazilian started the quarterfinal match against Wales at the age of 17 years and 239 days.

Morata lost to Pele's record in just 20 days. At the time of the match with Ecuador, the Mexican player was 17 years and 259 days old.

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On the same day, the Mexican national football team won 2-0 over Ecuador in the match of the 1/16 finals of the 2026 World Cup. Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez scored goals for the winners.