It is for this reason that Santiago Jimenez chose to play for the Mexico national team rather than with Messi in Argentina.

In anticipation of the tournaments that mexican football selection will collide in 2024, Santiago Jimenez Thanks to his qualities, he has positioned himself as one of the players with the highest expectations. Although his dual citizenship might have allowed him to defend the colors of the Argentine shirt, he decided to opt for the tricolor for very specific reasons.

As stated in media statements Mexican football playersaved by the site Claro Sports, Santiago Jimenez He rejected the albiceleste and refused the opportunity to share the playing field, drills and locker room with Lionel Messiconsidered one of the best players in the history of football.

“I’m not lying, I love Messi. He is an animal, he is the best in history, but it is better to play against (…) I love Leo Messi, I think he is the best player in history, but I wasn’t going to make the decision for Messi.

. I was going to accept this… I’m happy with this decision,” he initially told the publication.

Later, Christian Jimenez’s son “El Chaco” spoke in detail about the reasons for choosing Mexico. Although he did not deny his Argentine roots, since his parents and himself were born in this South American country, Santiago admitted his attachment to Mexico because it is the place where he grew up most of his life.

“I feel a mixture. Although I feel Mexican because I have lived in Mexico my whole life since I was two years old, I was born in Argentina and this is the reality. My whole family is from Argentina, and no one is going to change their roots,” he said.

This is not the first time Santiago Jimenez He talks about his decision to join the Mexican national team rather than Argentina. In this sense, during an interview with former footballer Hugo Sanchez in the media ESPNassured that the decisive moment occurred when he competed for divisions with an age limit of 20 years.

“At one point in the U20 national team I had a choice: go to the Argentina U20 national team or go to the Mexico U20 national team, and that’s when I had to make a decision. I did one thing that I think is right. “I said I’m not going to think about what’s best for me or think about the future, I’m just going to decide with my heart,” he said.

Moreover, he stated that his sense of belonging is more tied to Mexico than to the country where he was born. This reason became his main argument in favor of the decision to defend the jersey of the country in which he made his professional debut.

“When I asked myself this internally, that’s when I decided on Mexico because the reality is that I feel more Mexican than Argentinian. I am Argentinean by birth, but I came to Mexico when I was two years old, so my whole life was spent in Mexico, and I became a Mexican because at the age of two I was already living in Mexico, I don’t even remember when I lived in Argentina “, he said.

Over time, Santiago Jimenez continued to improve his footballing qualities, the same ones he used to end his league title drought. Blue Cross. In the following competitions, his talent attracted the attention of various teams in Europe, although he decided to sign a contract with Feyenoord.

Currently, Jimenez He is one of the leaders of the team based in the city of Rotterdam. Meanwhile, after winning the Gold Cup with the team Mexican teamwill become one of the main figures of the 2026 World Cup.