I've not stopped looking into the World Cup for the past couple of weeks now, and one guy I want to highlight ahead of the opener is Erik Lira (Mexico).
He's going to do the dirty work in defensive midfield, and I'll be keeping my eye on him for fouls and cards throughout the tournament.
One thing I found funny. Mexico automatically qualified, so most of the games he's played have been friendlies purely for chemistry and fitness, and he's still been an absolute nutter.
Across eight friendlies he's committed 15 fouls, an average of 2.74 per 90. I'll say it again, these are friendlies.
Mexico are set to play all of their games in Mexico, giving them a huge home advantage as their fans will completely dominate these grounds. Lira has already said "Nobody will beat us in Mexico," and you can just tell he's a player ready to put it all on the line.
Domestically, he's the club captain of Cruz Azul, who won the Mexican league. He picked up seven cards in the league alone and is clearly a huge leader.
To sum all of this up, Lira recently said "Anyone who wants to come to the Azteca and win is going to leave dead."
So when he's causing carnage, don't say I didn't tell you so.
🐎 ¡NAPOLEON SOLO GANA EL PREAKNESS STAKES 2026!
🏇 Con la monta del mexicano Paco López 🇲🇽 y el entrenador del ejemplar, Chad Summers, el equipo de Al Gold triunfa durante la 151.ª edición del Preakness Stakes.
🎙️ @josefriverap y @CopanAlvarez#PreaknessStakes