Claudio Suárez warns Rafael Márquez on Mexico national team selection, Digi Mart USA News: Rafael Márquez faces a decisive test as coach of the Mexican national team and needs to start producing results to prevent growing questions about his project ahead of the 2030 World Cup. Former Mexico defender Claudio Suárez, speaking in an exclusive interview with Publimetro, urged the new coach to call up the best available players, not to take Jamaica lightly, and to learn from the mistakes that led to the departures of other national team coaches.
The former player, nicknamed “El Emperador,” also addressed the situation of Mexican forwards in Europe, the possible addition of new players, and the future of Gilberto Mora, whom he considers a footballer of enormous quality but says should not carry the full weight of the national team.
Suárez acknowledged that he had expected a better start to the new process, especially after Mexico failed to win any of its first four matches under Márquez. However, he highlighted that the coach has maintained his intention to observe new options and build a competitive squad for the coming years.
“I have always said that the national team is not for developing players; the best must go. You have to think about going to win everything,” he said.
For Suárez, long-term projects do not guarantee a coach’s continuity when results do not follow. “I don’t believe in that generational change talk, because executives want immediate results,” he added.
As an example, he recalled the case of Jaime Lozano, whose project ended before reaching its initially stated goals. He therefore considers it essential that Márquez use his international experience and make decisions focused on immediate performance while still monitoring players who could establish themselves in the future.
Suárez also warned against underestimating Jamaica, Mexico’s opponent in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Nations League. He questioned predictions of a comfortable Mexican victory, noting that the Caribbean side has players with international experience.
“The comments I hear are: ‘Jamaica, you’ll thrash them, you’ll score eight or seven.’ No,” he said.
He also lamented that the return leg is scheduled in Monterrey rather than Mexico City, arguing that the national team should take advantage of the sporting conditions at Estadio Azteca. “The national team doesn’t leave Mexico City because it’s your strength, the Azteca Stadium,” he said.
Suárez recalled that during his career there were situations in which commercial interests and executive decisions affected the planning of the national team. He therefore asked that Rafael Márquez receive institutional support to work with the players he truly needs.
“Once on the pitch, Rafa must bring the best. Not testing players, because that’s what happened to Jimmy Lozano,” he insisted.
Suárez also discussed the development of Gilberto Mora, one of the most promising talents in Mexican football. He acknowledged the midfielder’s technical qualities but asked that fans’ expectations not become an excessive burden for the young player.
“I said the other day: you can’t leave all the responsibility on him,” he said. He believes Mora should integrate into the collective structure and continue developing before being considered the player responsible for solving all of the team’s attacking problems.
“He reminds me of a player like Xavi Hernández or Iniesta,” he said, pointing to similarities in intelligence, ball control and game management. Suárez clarified that the careers of Hugo Sánchez and Rafael Márquez belong to different positions, so he considers it premature to compare their achievements with the future of the young talent.
“He has good control, good passing, a good shot. All of that has to be developed gradually,” he said.
He also expressed hope that the midfielder could reach one of Europe’s major leagues.
On Mexico’s attacking options, Suárez believes Márquez has enough alternatives to build a competitive attack. He mentioned Armando González, who continues developing in Europe, and Santiago Giménez, whom he sees regaining confidence after a difficult period.
“Santi Giménez is recovering his level. The other day he scored a penalty, but it was a decisive goal and that helps him release the pressure,” he explained.
He also praised the performance of Julián Quiñones in Saudi Arabia and Germán Berterame with Inter Miami. He further mentioned a Chivas player as a possible surprise option.
“Perhaps the surprise could be Santi Sandoval of Chivas. I would take him into account,” he said.
Although asked about a Mexican forward who stands out in Croatia, Suárez did not give a specific assessment of that player and focused his answer on the options he already knows.
Beyond individual names, Suárez believes Mexico’s main problem lies not necessarily with its forwards but with the limited number of scoring opportunities the team creates. He considers it unfair to blame the attackers alone when the team’s collective play does not give them good chances.
“I think Rafa does have options up front. Here the issue is how the team functions and generates goal-scoring opportunities,” he said.
Suárez stressed that the coaching staff must find solutions to increase offensive production and make better use of its players’ qualities. “You have to create more for them so you can really question whether the forwards are scoring.
If they have no chances, how are they going to score?” he concluded.
Suárez therefore believes Rafael Márquez’s success toward the 2030 World Cup will depend on three factors: correctly selecting his players, securing support from the federation, and building a system capable of creating scoring chances. The message from El Emperador is clear: Mexico can develop new talent, but the national team must always compete with the intention to win.
