Why Tecatito Corona's move to Sevilla FC is so important for Mexican football (right now)
Thoughts on Corona's transfer to Julen Lopetegui's Sevilla
Let’s be honest, in the last year it’s really hard to pinpoint big wins for El Tri. Without a doubt the biggest of them all has to be the bronze medal in Tokyo. Everyone saw that victory as a moment for El Tri’s European-based pool to get bigger, but most importantly younger, unfortunately, that’s not the case. The reality is that the bronze medal victory will be remembered as another success for México’s national team youth setup, and that in the year leading up to the 2022 World Cup a considerable group of that Under-23 pool stayed in Liga MX.
Even with this current reality, one of which can be diagnosed as Mexican football taking steps backwards, not forward, El Tri is in a different level than it was prior to the 2006 World Cup, even the 2010 World Cup.
At this stage of the game, El Tri can say that a big chunk of its current pool has either played in Europe or is still competing at the highest level. Having that as part of the big picture is a significant win for a country with a league that has had a difficult time globalizing itself. In the eyes of the world, Mexican football is still an unknown.
The best way for Mexican football to catch more attention is by living moments like the one Tecatito is living right now in Sevilla.
His arrival to the Andalusian capital has gotten a lot of attention from both sides of the Atlantic. He arrives to La Liga after producing these numbers in his last three seasons with FC Porto:
2018-19: 7 goals; 15 assists
2019-20: 4 goals; 21 assists
2020-21: 3 goals; 13 assists
There isn’t much to highlight from his current 2021-22 season. It’s still an unknown.
Hours away from possibly making his Sevilla FC debut in a Derbi Sevillano, Tecatito’s current season hasn’t yet taken off. It can be said that his arrival to Sevilla is the greatest opportunity to begin something worthwhile. It’s an opportunity to stamp his name in a Spanish club that’s immersed in the current league title race.
For Tecatito, it plays in his favor that Julen Lopetegui already coached him in Porto. It certainly helped Giovani dos Santos that Marcelino García Toral had coached him at Racing de Santander before he arrived to Villarreal CF.
Lopetegui coached Tecatito in the 2015-16 season, the Mexican’s first season in Portugal. A stat that stands out during those months that they worked together is that he went on to finish the season with eight goals, six of which were scored while Lopetegui led the Portuguese giants. The Spaniard departed Porto in early 2016.
At 29, Tecatito’s electric flare on the dribble is well known. What’s unknown still is if he has what it takes to become an important player for both club and country.
No one will cross out that he reached a top level with Porto, but he has never been able to combine both a high level at club and country. His time with El Tri has been inconsistent, and not as determinant as has been the case with Chucky Lozano, just to give an example.
In the 2018 World Cup, Tecatito didn’t have a significant role in Juan Carlos Osorio’s México. He would only come off the bench in two of four matches.
In last year’s Gold Cup, which didn’t include Raúl Jiménez and Lozano, Tecatito only contributed one assist. So far in the World Cup qualifiers, Tecatito has played 484 minutes and has only provided one goal and two assists.
Part of the summer and the first half of the current season has asked Tecatito to be one of El Tri’s most important players, and his performances have been subpar. Who knows what would have happened had Mexico won that Nations League final after taking an early 1-0 lead thanks to a Tecatito opening goal.
What we do know is that El Tri is currently in a shaky moment, which could go way downhill if “Tata” Martino is unable to lead the national team to positive results in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
It may seem like a big statement, but if El Tri were to have a big 2022, a lot will have to do with how Tecatito performs. Of course, Martino has to find different ways to get the best out of him, but also Jiménez, Rogelio Funes Mori, Orbelín Pineda, Lozano, Diego Lainez, just to name a few.
Let’s see if being Sevilla’s no. 9 will put Tecatito in a scenario where it sets him to take that next step and rescue what has been a very quiet 2021-22 season for him and most of El Tri’s current European legion.
With an attacking pool that includes Lucas Ocampos, Youssef En-Nesyri, Munir and Rafa Mir, Tecatito will need to take his game to the next level to win playing time.
By the way, Tecatito likes to make impactful debuts ⬇️
