Qatar 2022: Why is Santiago Giménez not playing for Mexico in the FIFA World Cup?

Making a FIFA World Cup roster is never easy. The best players of every country do their biggest effort to be in it, so the competition is challenging. It’s also a tough task for head coaches as well, and this time Santiago Giménez wasn’t able to take a spot in Mexico’s squad for Qatar 2022.

Every coach has a different approach. Some prefer experience to play in this important tournament, while others like Luis Enrique decide to go younger. That seems a bit more shocking since it meant that names like Sergio Ramos and David de Gea were left out in Spain.

Mexico will also have some high-profile absences in the roster, though. For example, recent MLS champion with LAFC Carlos Vela won’t be there. Los Angeles Galaxy’s Chicharito Hernández and Sevilla’s Jesús ‘Tecatito’ Corona will miss the FIFA World Cup as well. Find out why another good striker like Giménez didn’t make the team.

Why is Santi Giménez missing the Qatar 2022 World Cup?

Most countries go through discussions over who should be in the roster for the FIFA World Cup. It’s clear now that Mexico was definitely not out of the controversy, based on all the heat that head coach Gerardo Martino took lately. Especially for not choosing the striker although he had a good season at the Dutch club Feyenoord.

The move that made the Argentine coach be criticized the most is leaving Giménez out of the squad. His case, unlike the one of Corona, wasn’t injury related. He is simply not going to Qatar 2022 because Martino chose others over him. This was particularly surprising since Raúl Jiménez and Rogelio Funes Mori were ahead of him.

Jiménez would be a lock any day if he was healthy, but he hasn’t been able to play since August. Funes Mori didn’t have his best performances in the previous months, so that added to the discussions. A setback from Jiménez may open the door again, although his possibilities are low. Martino needs to get it right at that position since Mexico will share group C with Argentina, Poland, and Saudi Arabia.

Using this World Cup Predictor, you can see every potential outcome of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.