Mexico All-time 23 member team

Confederation Cup 1999

Mexico successfully hosted a WC in 1970, but it was Hugo Sanchez who put Mexico on the football map.  He starred for Real Madrid in the 1980's and led "El Tri" to the quarterfinal of the WC in 1986. In 1990's, Mexico enjoyed a period of successes.  They first reached the Final of Copa America in 1993, followed by great runs at the WC in 1994 and 1998.  In 1999, they won the Confederation Cup. In 2000's, Mexico also did well, but expectations are much higher.  They managed to win the Gold medal at the Olympics.

If there were an All-Time World Cup, this would be the 23 players I would bring to the tournament.  The team is not an All-Star team. I tried to be as realistic as possible.   A few of the players are selected for tactical reasons at the expense of more famous players.

Team
GK: Jorge Campos
Known for his colorful attire and his stint as a forward for his club team.  He was the most iconic footballer of his generation. He played in two WC Finals(1994 and 1998) and won the 1999 Confederation Cup.  He was capped 130 times.  He played mainly in Mexico, but also in the MLS.

GK: Antonio Carbajal
He was the first player to play in 5 WC Finals from 1954 to 1966.  He was capped 48 times.  He spent most of his cub career with Leon.

GK: Oswaldo Sanchez
Oswaldo Sanchez played in three World Cup Finals in 1998, 2002 and 2006, earning 99 caps. He was voted the best keeper in Mexico for 7 times. He spent the majority of his career with Guadalajara and Santos Laguna.


RB: Gustavo Pena
He was the captain of "El Tri" at WC Finals in 1966 and 1970.  He earned 80 caps. He played for nearly twenty years in the Primera División de México with Oro, Cruz Azul, Monterrey and Club de Fútbol Laguna.

RB: Ricardo Osorio
The starting righback for Stuttgart when they won the Bundesliga in 2007.  He played with them from 2006 to 2010.  He was also a key player for Mexico at the WC 2006 and 2010.

CB:  Claudio Suarez
Nicknamed "El Emperador".  He is the Mexico's cap record holder with 178(second in the world).  He went to three WC Finals, where he had a big role in 1994 and 1998.  In Mexico, he played with UNAM Pumas, Guadalajara and Tigres.  He also joined Chivas USA in the MLS.

Claudio Suarez

CB:  Guillermo Sepúlveda
He played in 1958 and 1962 World Cup Finals.  His career was associated with Guadalajara.

CB:  Jesus Del Muro 
During his career he played for CD Atlas (1954-1965), Veracruz (1965), Cruz Azul (1966, 1971) and Toluca (1969, 1973).  He appeared in three WC Finals for "El Tri". 

CB:  Rafael Marquez
He is one of the best players in Mexico's history.  He started his career with Atlas before moving to play in Europe, notably with Monaco and Barcelona.  He was the first Mexican to win the European Champions' League. He is the first player ever to captain his national team in four consecutive World Cup Finals, captaining Mexico in the 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014.

Rafael Marquez

LB: Carlos Salcido
Carlos Salcido played in three World Cups: 2006, 2010, 2014.  He was a part of the Mexican team that won the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.  He also found successes with PSV Eindhoven.  He became their vice-captain.

DM/LB:  Ramon Ramirez
Ramon Ramirez was a left winger and attack midfielder for his club, but a leftback for Mexico.  He was one of Mexico's most capped players.  He played in both 1994 and 1998 WC Finals.  He spent his club career in Mexico and in the United States.

Ramon Ramirez

DM: Raul Cardenas
He played in three WC Finals: 1954, 1958 and 1962. He is best remembered for the being the coach for Mexico in the 1970 World Finals.

DM/CM: Pavel Pardo
He spent most of his career playing with Club América and is the second most capped player for Mexico. Pardo participated in two World Cups (1998 and 2006), won two CONCACAF Gold Cups and won the FIFA Confederations Cup with "El Tri" in 1999.  He was voted the fifth best player in the Bundesliga in 2007 when he won the league with Stuttgart. 

AM/CM: Manuel Negrete
Best remembered for his bicycle kick goal in Mexico 1986.  He was also one of the first Mexicans to play in Europe when he moved to Sporting CP in Portugal and then, Sporting de Gijon in Spain.  In Mexico, his main club was UNAM Pumas.

ST/RW: Luis Garcia
Luis Garcia started his career with UNAM Pumas.  He went to Spain and for Atletico Madrid and then, Real Sociedad.  He played in the WC Finals in 1994.  He also went to France 1998, but did not see any action.

AM: Alberto García Aspe
Alberto García Aspe was an icon of the 1990's.  He played in 3 World Cup Finals from 1994 to 2002. He spent most of his club career in Mexico, but also played briefly for River Plate.

Alberto García Aspe

FW:  Salvador Reyes
He was Chivas de Guadalajara's all-time top scorer with 122 goals. Played in three World Cups: 1958, 1962 and 1966.

AM:  Luis de la Fuente
He is the first Mexican player to play in four countries (Mexico, Spain, Paraguay and Argentina).  After he played in the WC in 1934, he went to play in Spain with Racing Club de Santander.  He also played with Club Atlético Corrales in Paraguay and Vélez Sarsfield in Argentina.  He was widely considered to be one of Mexico's greatest players.

FW: Cuauhtemoc Blanco
He was part of the squad at France '98, Korea-Japan 2002 and South Africa 2010.  He won the Silver Ball and the Silver Shoe awards in the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup. He is tied with Ronaldinho as the all-time leading Confederations Cup goalscorer.  He is also remembered for the Cuauhtemiña (also spelled Cuauhteminha), or Blanco Trick, which he performed notably at the 1998 World Cup.

Cuauhtemoc Blanco

ST: Jared Borgetti
Nicknamed El Zorro del Desierto ("The Desert Fox"). He scored 46 goals for "El Tri". He went to the WC in 2002 and 2006.  He became the first Mexican to play in England when he joined Bolton Wanderers.

ST: Luis Hernandez
Luis Hernandez was among the top scorers at France 1998. He was also Mexico's highest scorer in the WC Finals.  He was twice named Mexico's Player of the Year in 1997 and 1998. He played with teams in Mexico, Argentina and the United States.

ST: Horacio Casarin
An icon in 1940's and 1950's.  He was Atlante's greatest player.   He also played for Necaxa, Leon, Asturias, Club América, Real España, CF Monterrey and Zacatepec in his country, as well as FC Barcelona in Spain.

ST: Hugo Sanchez 
He was considered to be the best Mexican player of all-time. He is remembered for his career in Spain where he played for both Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.  He won 5 straight Pichichi title in Spain.  With Real Madrid, he won five consecutive league titles (from 1985-86 to 1989-90), the Copa del Rey in 1989, and the UEFA Cup in 1986.  The team was the dominant team in Spain during the 1980's.

Hugo Sanchez 

Honorable Mention
Guillermo Ochoa, Gerardo Torrado, Zague, Benjamin Galindo, Enrique Borja and Carlos Hermosillo.

Squad Explanation

• I took Luis Garcia over Benjamin Galindo. 
• Guillermo Ochoa has potential to be among the greatest. Javier Hernández is also in the same situation.  His next career move would determine his status in football history.  At this point, he has not even done enough to earn an Honorable Mention.
  

Starting lineup

Formation 4-2-3-1  
Blanco could move up and play as a secondary striker behind Sanchez. Ramairez normally played leftback for Mexico, but I pushed him to the midfield where he could provide more width to the attack.