They face no small task to face in Argentina tonight, but the Mexico U17 side at least received a few nice words of encouragement from a friendly figure while he was in Abu Dhabi.
Formula One driver Sergio Perez, in town for the Grand Prix, met with the teenage footballers on Monday after finishing an encouraging ninth himself in the race on Sunday.
“I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to come and say hello, to congratulate them and wish them all the best for their World Cup semi-final match,” Perez said in a press release. “I feel like I can identify with these boys because of the amount of effort they put in and because of the hopes they have.”
Mexico have already knocked off teams that typically tower in football at the Fifa Under 17 World Cup this year, including Brazil and Italy, so while Argentina present a challenge, it's nothing the Mexicans aren't familiar with.
They also happen to be the defending champions of the tournament.
“I haven’t had the opportunity to see their games because I’ve been very busy, but obviously I can’t miss the semi-finals and the final," Perez said of the conclusion to the tournament. "I won’t be able to go to the stadium as I have to go to England, then Mexico and then Austin (Texas) the week after that, but I’ll be watching on television.”
Perez said he simply wanted to let the players know they were supported by their countrymen.
“I told them that all the sacrifices they make are worth it because they’re not alone, we’re with them.
"Younger players are probably thinking: ‘It must be amazing to play at a World Cup,’ but it requires a huge effort. You’re away from home for months, preparing and concentrating on the competition. I share that with them. I hope they keep going and become world champions.”
