The casualty list for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar continues to grow today after the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol confirmed that star winger Jesús Corona will miss out on Tata Martino’s Mexico squad.
Tasked with tackling Argentina, Poland, and Saudi Arabia in Group C, Mexico is a perennial contestant coming out of CONCACAF and has reached the knockout stage at the World Cup in each of the last eight tournaments they have taken part in, though they have not made it past the round of 16 for seven consecutive appearances.
With hopes of one-upping Robert Lewandowski’s Poland behind expected group winner and tournament heavyweights Argentina, El Tri will have to fight tooth and nail without the services of Corona who has been at the forefront of the national team since 2014 while receiving 71 caps along the way and chipping in with 10 goals.
Corona first suffered a fibula fracture back in August when in service of new club Sevilla after his summer arrival from FC Porto, and Martino and the Mexican Federation were hoping to secure his services in time but the 29-year-old versatile winger has not recovered in time to participate in the winter tournament.
The C.F. Monterrey academy product has become the latest in a laundry list of players that are set to miss out on the World Cup in what remains - to date - the most talked about tournament and for all the wrong reasons.
Group C antagonists Argentina confirmed earlier today that Giovani Lo Celso requires surgery and will also miss out on the action in a matter of weeks, with the pair of players joining the likes of Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kanté, Timo Werner, Reece James, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Ronald Araújo headlining a growing list of footballers that have been dropping like flies under the weight of an even more difficult fixture calendar.
Regardless of whether Qatar ends up successfully hosting the tournament, it has become clear beyond doubt that a mid-season World Cup should not be considered again moving forward.