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His performance with the Mexican National Team has put Gilberto Mora in the spotlight, the youngest player of the 2026 World Cup and one of the rising stars of national and international soccer. His remarkable appearances in the Tri matches against South Africa, South Korea, Czechia, and recently against Ecuador, where he provided an assist, have earned him national recognition.
What few people know is that his talent on the field was inherited from another Mexican soccer star: his father, Gilberto Mora Olayo. Who is he? Here is the full story.
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¿Quién es el padre de Gilberto Mora?
Morita grew up under the influence of national soccer because he is the son of the legendary Gilberto Mora Olayo, who was a star for several Mexican teams such as Toluca, Club Tijuana, Veracruz, and Jaguares de Chiapas as a left midfielder.
Mora Olayo debuted with the Diablos Rojos del Toluca in 1997 and later played for Atlético Mexiquense, Real Cuautitlán, Tigres B, and Bachilleres Veracruz. After a long career in the First and Second Divisions, Gil Mora Olayo retired with the Xolos de Tijuana, the same team where his heir currently plays.
Beyond his career in soccer, the elder Gil Mora has taken his first steps as a coach for the Xolos and has been a key figure in his son's development as a star of the team.
Gilberto Mora Olayo was born in Mexico City on February 4, 1976. In addition to being the father of Gil Morita, Mora Olayo has two daughters named Bárbara and Kamila.
Gil Mora desea que Morita “sea un gran futbolista y un hombre de bien”
In an interview with GQ, Gil Mora spoke about his son and the future he has as a professional soccer player, predicting that the 17-year-old has a great future ahead of him on the pitch.
“What interests me most is that he is a good man. That he is a soccer player, yes, but above all that he is a person, a good man, and that he manages his career well,” he noted.
During the talk, Mora Olayo recalled the moment he realized his son would have a future as a soccer player, noting that Gil was drawn to the ball even before learning to walk, and that growing up with a soccer player father influenced him to develop professionally as a teenager and consider soccer as a career.
“He liked balls more than any other young child, and that’s when I imagined it could be something he would never stop doing. He kept growing and was still more interested in the ball than a car; furthermore, he began to show skills that seemed different from those of other children,” he pointed out.
“I think it helped him a lot that I was inside the soccer environment and that he experienced it as part of his life from a young age. He heard about soccer at home, watched soccer with me, and was very close to my life as a soccer player,” he said.
Gil Mora will compete with the Mexican National Team for a place in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup against the England team this Sunday, July 5, at 6 pm from Estadio Azteca.
[Publicidad]