Gabriel Caballero, the first naturalized player in the Mexican national team who defended the Aztec shirt in a World Cup (South Korea and Japan 2002), rejected in an interview with La Opinion that the players who decide to defend the Tricolor shirt are the heroes of a country or of all Mexican football.
The above arises regarding the striker’s call Argentine naturalized Mexican Germán Berterame by the same coach who 22 years ago decided to break paradigms by calling him for the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan as Javier “Vasco” Aguirre and who now does it again for the World Cup in Mexico, the United States and Canada 2026.
“There will always be good or bad opinions, people who disagree, but I think the perception is wrong about the contribution of the naturalized player, I think he should be taken as one more than eleven players on the field and ten on the substitute bench and not put the mantle of hero on him,” he said in a telephone conversation with this publishing house. highlighting the pride that wearing the Mexico shirt in a World Cup represented in those around him.
Gentleman for that reason said that: “In this case, Berterame’s contribution is due to something Javier Aguirre saw “What can he contribute and if he complied with the procedures to be considered for the Mexican team and it is the coach’s decision and the player accepts, I think the important thing is to add in favor of the Mexican team.”
The former player of Santos Laguna, Pachuca, Atlas and Puebla in the MX League, As well as a strategist of both this category and the immediately lower category of Mexican soccer, he also highlighted that: “Without a doubt, being naturalized is an important decision that entails transcendental decisions and that each player must assume with great responsibility, but not assume any other type.” of aspects such as becoming the savior of the Mexican team.”
Aware that the decision to provide naturalized players, who with Berterame will total 18 players in the entire history of Mexican soccer, will always touch very sensitive chords in a country so proud of its roots, Caballero highlighted that: “I think it will always be better to provide resources than to denigrate the efforts of these players. I understand that if they are called up it is because there is a need and the player, as in my case, goes with the sole desire to contribute.”
He accepted that there are many perspectives to analyze whether up to now those naturalized have contributed or served the interests of the Mexican team as people wish, “I think that is where the key to the matter lies, we have to see the naturalized player as a contribution, not as a hero, not as someone who is going to dribble or take off the eleven rivals and he alone will score the goals, that is a wrong perspective.”
In Argentina it would not be a crime, but it does not need them
Asked about how it would be assumed in the Argentina team calling a naturalized player, if it would be a crime or how the Albiceleste fans would take it: “I think it wouldn’t be a crime, but the Argentine national team doesn’t need it either. This about the naturalized players depends on the fact that if the current coach of the Mexican national team sees that this player (Germán Berterame) can contribute something and they need him for a role in the national team, then we will see if he can help.”
He accepted that perhaps in Mexico this issue is more due to the fact that Mexicans They defend what is theirs, but they also want their team to be a winner: “So getting the contribution of the naturalized players is to add, I see it that way, but I understand the point of national pride.”
Finally, he denied that he had suffered any negative experience at the time. when he decided to defend the Mexico national team shirt at the request of Javier Aguirre: “It wasn’t negative at all, I think it was an experience and an emotion that will always be recorded in my mind, that moment of hearing the national anthem against Croatia.”
Continue reading:
-Berterame fractures Avilés Hurtado and the sanction generates controversy
-Amaury Vergara on naturalized players: “We are not going to have naturalized players in Chivas”
-Three players who could naturalize to play for the Mexican national team
