Gilberto Mora Speaking English: What Learners Can Copy
Gilberto Mora, the 17-year-old Club Tijuana midfielder who scored Mexico's equalizer in the 1-1 friendly against Colombia on September 26, 2026, is also known for answering reporters in English. At a Tijuana news conference his coach, Sebastián Abreu, called his English answer "perfect". What makes it work isn't advanced vocabulary. It's short, clear sentences built from a few reusable phrases, and that's something any learner can copy.
Why Gilberto Mora is trending
Mora scored Mexico's second-half equalizer against Colombia in Baltimore on September 26, 2026, and the game finished 1-1. For most US viewers it was another reminder of a player who has been collecting "youngest ever" records: youngest goalscorer in Liga MX history, youngest player to debut for Mexico's senior team, and the youngest Mexican player at the 2026 World Cup.
He was born in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, in October 2008, plays as an attacking midfielder for Club Tijuana, and is still 17. Spanish is his first language.
The English moment people keep sharing
ESPN reported that during a Club Tijuana news conference, Mora answered in fluent English, which surprised a lot of people who only knew him as a teenage prospect. His coach Sebastián Abreu praised it on the spot and joked that Mora speaks German too, "but we don't have any German journalists." (Mora went to a German school in Tijuana, Colegio Alemán Cuauhtémoc Hank, according to his Wikipedia profile.)
In an ESPN interview conducted in English, his answer about joining the team went like this: "I'm so happy to be part of this team and obviously of the Mexican national team. I try to enjoy this moment." He then thanked his teammates and coach for their support.
We don't know exactly how he learned English, and nobody has reported it in detail, so we won't guess. What we can do is look at how he actually speaks, because that part is on the record.
What his answers do well (and why that matters to you)
Read that interview answer again. There's nothing fancy in it. No rare words, no complicated grammar, no long sentences. And it still sounds natural and confident, because it does three simple things right.
- Short sentences. Each one carries one idea. Short sentences are easier to say without freezing, and easier for the listener to follow.
- Ready-made phrases. "I'm so happy to be part of...", "I try to enjoy this moment", "with the support of...". These are chunks you can learn once and reuse in dozens of situations.
- He answers the actual question, then stops. Many learners keep talking because they're nervous about the silence. Stopping on a clear sentence sounds more confident than adding three more half-finished ones.
Steal these phrases for your own interviews and meetings
Athletes answer the same kinds of questions over and over, so they rely on a small set of phrases. You can build the same toolkit for a job interview, a work meeting, or introducing yourself to new people. Here are simple, natural phrases in the same style. Practise saying them out loud until they come out without thinking.
- •Talking about something new: "I'm really happy to be part of this team."
- •Staying calm under pressure: "I try to enjoy the moment and not think too much about it."
- •Giving credit: "I couldn't do it without the support of my team."
- •Talking about learning: "I always try to learn from people with more experience."
- •Answering a hard question: "That's a good question. For me, the most important thing is..."
- •Closing an answer: "So yes, I'm grateful and I'm ready for what's next."
How to practise this without a press conference
The skill Mora shows isn't vocabulary. It's answering an unplanned question out loud, in a second language, in real time. That only improves by doing it. Try this for 10 minutes a day: pick a question you might get in real life ("Tell me about yourself", "What do you do?", "Why do you want this job?"), answer it out loud in three or four short sentences using one of the phrases above, then say it again a bit more smoothly.
If job interviews are your goal, our list of common job interview questions and answers in English gives you real questions to rehearse. And if you understand English but freeze when it's time to speak, read how to stop translating in your head.
Who this approach is not for
If you're preparing for an exam like IELTS or TOEFL, this isn't a test-prep method and you'll need exam-specific materials. And if you're a complete beginner who can't form a basic sentence yet, start with core vocabulary and simple present tense first. The short-sentence approach works best once you know some English but struggle to get it out when someone is waiting for your answer.
Rozy is an AI English tutor for exactly this kind of practice: answering real questions out loud until it stops feeling scary. You talk with the AI tutor about real-life topics like Job Talk, Small Talk and daily conversations, any time of day. It corrects your grammar as you speak and shows what you said, the corrected version, and why, and you can check your pronunciation sentence by sentence. It's not an exam-prep app and there are no human tutors, just unlimited, low-pressure speaking practice.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Gilberto Mora speak English?
- Yes. ESPN reported that he answered questions in fluent English at a Club Tijuana news conference, and his coach Sebastián Abreu praised the answer publicly. Spanish is his first language.
- Where is Gilberto Mora from?
- He was born in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Mexico, in October 2008. He plays for Club Tijuana in Liga MX and for Mexico's national team.
- Did Gilberto Mora score against Colombia?
- Yes. He scored Mexico's second-half equalizer in the 1-1 friendly against Colombia in Baltimore on September 26, 2026.
- What can English learners copy from his interviews?
- Use short sentences, rely on a few reusable phrases like "I'm happy to be part of..." and "I try to enjoy this moment", and stop talking once you've answered the question. Clear and simple sounds more confident than long and complicated.
Related articles