Mexico's World Cup Prospect
Mexico's 5-2 win over Guatemala last week was all about one man: Francisco Fonseca. The Cruz Azul striker found the net four times, making him only the fourth Tricolor player ever to achieve the feat in a FIFA World Cup™ qualifier.
But that was not all. Fonseca's hefty haul against the Central Americans also did wonders for his goal-scoring average. With 15 in his first 20 games, the player universally known as Kikín has a higher goals-per-game ratio than Enrique Borja, Luis Hernandez, Cuauhtemoc Blanco or Jared Borgetti had at a similar stage in their international careers.
His record also surpasses that of many of the greats of world football, including Ronaldo, Thierry Henry or Michael Owen. When asked about the feat, Fonseca was typically unassuming: "The truth is that I wouldn't have scored a single goal if it weren't for assists from my team-mates. So I owe everything to them."
The strength to endure Despite suffering many setbacks, both personal and professional, along the way, Fonseca has always found the will to carry on. The loss of a brother at an early age and having to spend many long years in his country's lower divisions only served to strengthen his resolve and will to win.
Fonseca was only two years old when tragedy struck his family, with Enrique, his older brother, dying suddenly in his sleep. And though he grew up admiring a brother he never really knew, he did inherit two enduring features from his sibling: his nickname Kikín and his love of football.
And so it was that Fonseca dreamed from an early age of becoming a professional footballer. However, realising his dream would prove far from easy. Despite a long apprenticeship in the reserves at his hometown side Leon, he was not given a chance to prove himself in the top flight. Instead, Fonseca was sent out on loan to three second-division sides, Yucatan, Curtidores and La Piedad. It was with the latter that the striker finally made his first division debut at 22 after helping them secure promotion the previous season.
/06/en/photos/index.html?aid=211739&d=1Enlarge PhotoPhoto Gallery
Having strived so long to get to the top, Fonseca struggled to make an impression when he got there. Deployed out on the right wing, the centre-forward failed to find the net in his 28 games. In spite of this, he caught the eye of one of the legends of the Mexican game, UNAM Pumas coach Hugo Sanchez, who signed the player, convinced he had unearthed a rough diamond.
After spending 14 games on the bench, Sanchez finally gave him his chance and since then Fonseca has not looked back. He played 71 times in two and half years, netting an impressive 25 goals. Moreover, he played a pivotal role in ending a 13-year title drought for the Pumas, endearing himself to the club's fanatical supporters in the process.
The reasons for Fonseca's popularity were threefold: he had a keen eye for goal, demonstrated enormous commitment, and always had time for the fans. Unlike many of his peers, Kikín regularly put an extra hour in after training to work on his game, and often spent as long again patiently signing autographs and posing for photos with the club's fans.
A star on the riseIn November 2004, Fonseca made his international debut in Mexico's friendly against Ecuador. His impact was immediate, with El Tri winning 2-1 courtesy of a brace from their new striker. Since then, he has been almost ever-present in his country's starting XI. His ten goals in Mexico's Germany 2006 qualifying campaign made him the third-highest scorer in the CONCACAF Zone preliminaries.
In January 2005, the player was transferred to Cruz Azul for close to four million dollars – an enormous sum in the Mexican transfer market. Fonseca quickly picked up where he left off, plundering 16 goals in his 28 games after forming a deadly strike partnership with the Argentine Cesar 'Chelito' Delgado.
Fonseca says he still has two more goals he wants to achieve. The first, obviously, is to compete at the FIFA World Cup and help his side make history there. "I am really excited about playing at the World Cup. The team is improving all the time. I think we have a great squad and a bunch of level-headed players. We also have plenty of time to make sure we arrive at the World Cup in tip-top condition. We're all united in our goal to be world champions," the 25-year-old says.
His second aspiration is to one day play in Europe. "One of my goals is to give it a go there. I'm working towards that every day, and God willing my chance will arrive. If opportunity knocks for me one day, then I'll be ready," the player vows. With his goal-scoring instinct and abundant charisma, expect the offers to come thick and fast after he struts his stuff on the world stage next summer in Germany.
But that was not all. Fonseca's hefty haul against the Central Americans also did wonders for his goal-scoring average. With 15 in his first 20 games, the player universally known as Kikín has a higher goals-per-game ratio than Enrique Borja, Luis Hernandez, Cuauhtemoc Blanco or Jared Borgetti had at a similar stage in their international careers.
His record also surpasses that of many of the greats of world football, including Ronaldo, Thierry Henry or Michael Owen. When asked about the feat, Fonseca was typically unassuming: "The truth is that I wouldn't have scored a single goal if it weren't for assists from my team-mates. So I owe everything to them."
The strength to endure Despite suffering many setbacks, both personal and professional, along the way, Fonseca has always found the will to carry on. The loss of a brother at an early age and having to spend many long years in his country's lower divisions only served to strengthen his resolve and will to win.
Fonseca was only two years old when tragedy struck his family, with Enrique, his older brother, dying suddenly in his sleep. And though he grew up admiring a brother he never really knew, he did inherit two enduring features from his sibling: his nickname Kikín and his love of football.
And so it was that Fonseca dreamed from an early age of becoming a professional footballer. However, realising his dream would prove far from easy. Despite a long apprenticeship in the reserves at his hometown side Leon, he was not given a chance to prove himself in the top flight. Instead, Fonseca was sent out on loan to three second-division sides, Yucatan, Curtidores and La Piedad. It was with the latter that the striker finally made his first division debut at 22 after helping them secure promotion the previous season.
/06/en/photos/index.html?aid=211739&d=1Enlarge PhotoPhoto Gallery
Having strived so long to get to the top, Fonseca struggled to make an impression when he got there. Deployed out on the right wing, the centre-forward failed to find the net in his 28 games. In spite of this, he caught the eye of one of the legends of the Mexican game, UNAM Pumas coach Hugo Sanchez, who signed the player, convinced he had unearthed a rough diamond.
After spending 14 games on the bench, Sanchez finally gave him his chance and since then Fonseca has not looked back. He played 71 times in two and half years, netting an impressive 25 goals. Moreover, he played a pivotal role in ending a 13-year title drought for the Pumas, endearing himself to the club's fanatical supporters in the process.
The reasons for Fonseca's popularity were threefold: he had a keen eye for goal, demonstrated enormous commitment, and always had time for the fans. Unlike many of his peers, Kikín regularly put an extra hour in after training to work on his game, and often spent as long again patiently signing autographs and posing for photos with the club's fans.
A star on the riseIn November 2004, Fonseca made his international debut in Mexico's friendly against Ecuador. His impact was immediate, with El Tri winning 2-1 courtesy of a brace from their new striker. Since then, he has been almost ever-present in his country's starting XI. His ten goals in Mexico's Germany 2006 qualifying campaign made him the third-highest scorer in the CONCACAF Zone preliminaries.
In January 2005, the player was transferred to Cruz Azul for close to four million dollars – an enormous sum in the Mexican transfer market. Fonseca quickly picked up where he left off, plundering 16 goals in his 28 games after forming a deadly strike partnership with the Argentine Cesar 'Chelito' Delgado.
Fonseca says he still has two more goals he wants to achieve. The first, obviously, is to compete at the FIFA World Cup and help his side make history there. "I am really excited about playing at the World Cup. The team is improving all the time. I think we have a great squad and a bunch of level-headed players. We also have plenty of time to make sure we arrive at the World Cup in tip-top condition. We're all united in our goal to be world champions," the 25-year-old says.
His second aspiration is to one day play in Europe. "One of my goals is to give it a go there. I'm working towards that every day, and God willing my chance will arrive. If opportunity knocks for me one day, then I'll be ready," the player vows. With his goal-scoring instinct and abundant charisma, expect the offers to come thick and fast after he struts his stuff on the world stage next summer in Germany.
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