Jesús Corona is a popular target for defenders when he suits up for El Tri. "Tecatito" will miss the Qatar World Cup after a training ground injury this week. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
El Tri: ‘Tecatito’ and 4 other painful pre-World Cup injuries
Teammates comfort Luis Montes after he suffered a broken leg in a friendly against Ecuador just weeks before El Tri left for the World Cup in Brazil. (Photo by Victor Straffon/LatinContent via Getty Images)
El Tri loses key member of attacking trident
Mexico fans cringed upon hearing the news of Thursday’s training ground injury that has knocked Jesús “Tecatito” Corona out of the World Cup.
The El Tri playmaker suffered a fractured fibula and ligament damage to his left ankle during a practice and Sevilla doctors say Corona will be out of action up to five months.
“Tecatito” was viewed as a sure-fire starter for El Tri in Qatar and now coach Gerardo Martino will have to juggle his depth chart while hoping several candidates for the now-vacant right winger spot demonstrate good form in the run-up to the World Cup.
The loss of Corona three months before Mexico’s inaugural match (Nov. 22 against Poland) brings up bad memories for El Tri supporters. Four times since 1970, Mexico has lost a key player in the weeks leading up to a World Cup.
1970 – Alberto Onofre
Four days before Mexico was due to host the Soviet Union at Estadio Azteca, Onofre collided with teammate Juan Manuel Alejándrez, badly mangling his leg. Onofre was expected to be the midfield general for El Tri, just as he was for the Guadalajara Chivas who he’d led to a league title months earlier. Onofre was never the same after the injury, unable to return to the pitch for two years, and then only playing another two seasons before retiring at the age of 27.
2002 – Claudio Suárez
The imperious central defender was set to captain El Tri in the Korea-Japan World Cup, but less than two months before kick-off, “El Emperador” broke his leg at a preseason training camp in Denver. Suárez started and finished Mexico’s previous eight World Cup matches (four in 1994 and four in 1998) and his veteran presence was missed as Mexico was eliminated by Team USA in the Round of 16. He would only play eight more games with the national team. Suárez still leads El Tri in caps with 177 (two more than Andrés Guardado, Mexico’s current captain).
2014 – Luis Montes
“El Chapo” had just helped León win back-to-back league titles and was fighting for a starting spot with El Tri as the team played its final friendly before departing for Brazil. Late in the first half, the feisty playmaker made a reckless challenge on a loose ball, clattering into Ecuador’s Segundo Castillo. Montes broke his right fibula just above the ankle, ending his dreams of playing in a World Cup. “El Chapo” eventually returned to form and skippered the León juggernaut that won the Guardianes 2020 title and reached two other Liga MX Finals. However, Montes fell down the pecking order with El Tri and has played in only 13 games for Mexico since.
2018 – Néstor Araujo
The then-26-year-old defender appeared certain to be a starter for Juan Carlos Osorio in Russia until he tore his MCL in a friendly against Croatia in late March. A 2012 Gold medal winner in London with El Tri, Araujo made a speedy recovery but was simply not in game shape and did not make the final cut. Despite the injury, the Guadalajara native signed a contract with Celta de Vigo in June 2018 and played four seasons in La Liga before returning to Mexico this past summer. Araujo is a candidate for one of the central defender spots in Qatar.
