Rogelio Funes Mori

2.1. Birth and Family Background

Rogelio Gabriel Funes Mori was born on March 5, 1991, in Mendoza, Argentina. In 2001, at the age of ten, his family relocated to Arlington, Texas, in the United States. He attended Workman Junior High and Arlington High School, where he played football alongside his identical twin brother, Ramiro Funes Mori. Their father, Miguel Funes Mori, had a professional football career in Argentina during the 1980s, playing for clubs such as Independiente Rivadavia and Club Atlético Argentino.

2.2. Youth Development and Early Recognition

Funes Mori's talent emerged early in his youth career. While attending Arlington High School, he was coached by Jeff Waldrop. In the 2008 season, he scored 40 goals, guiding his team to a 24-2-1 record, securing the District Championship and becoming an Area Finalist. He and his brother Ramiro also played for several seasons with the Associated Soccer Group (ASG) 91' team, where they were notably coached by former Nigeria international Uche Okafor.

Funes Mori gained significant attention through his participation in youth football reality shows. He won the Sueño MLS contest, which led to him joining the youth ranks of FC Dallas. Additionally, he won the 'American Soccer Idol' competition, which reportedly had a highly competitive ratio of 2000 contestants to 1 winner, showcasing his early dominance in American youth football.

His burgeoning talent attracted European interest, with Chelsea scout Jorge Alvial reportedly scouting him during Sueño MLS and discussing a potential trial with his parents. Funes Mori successfully completed a trial at Chelsea and was expected to join the club and play as a starter; however, this move was ultimately cancelled because he lacked an EU passport. Following this, he was scouted by River Plate and returned to Argentina in 2008 to join their youth system.

Even at a young age, Funes Mori's performance levels were noted to exceed those of many adult players. His abilities were recognized internationally when he was selected for the Argentina U-20 squad. In a friendly match against the French U-23 national team, despite Argentina being a significantly younger team, Funes Mori scored two goals, contributing to a 3-3 draw and playing a central role in Argentina's competitive showing against the older French side.

3.1. River Plate

Rogelio Funes Mori commenced his professional career with River Plate in the Argentine Primera División, making his debut on December 6, 2009, in a 1-3 defeat against Vélez Sársfield. He participated in the final two matches of that year, notably scoring his first professional goal for the club during an away game against Tigre.

During the traditional pre-season Torneos de Verano, Funes Mori found the net against River Plate's bitter rivals, Boca Juniors, in a 3-1 victory during the Copa Desafío held in Mar del Plata. On May 9, 2010, in the 2010 Clausura tournament, he achieved his first career hat-trick against Racing Club, scoring all three goals in a mere 24 minutes, which broke an 11-match goalless streak. In the final game of that tournament, he scored River's sole goal in a significant 1-5 loss to Tigre at home.

The 2010 Apertura saw Funes Mori continue his scoring form. In the opening match against Tigre, he scored a crucial 90th-minute goal following an assist from veteran Ariel Ortega, securing a 1-0 victory. This marked his third goal in three appearances against Tigre. In the third fixture, he scored two goals in the first half against Independiente, contributing to a 3-2 win. His fourth goal of the season came in a 1-0 victory over Arsenal de Sarandí. Despite his strong start, his goal-scoring tapered off, and he was part of the squad that experienced River Plate's historic first relegation to the Primera B Nacional.

In the Primera B Nacional season, Funes Mori scored his first goal against CSD Defensa y Justicia in the fifth fixture, followed by a second goal against Club de Gimnasia y Esgrimina La Plata in the seventh. Notably, in the 22nd fixture against Club Sportivo Desamparados, both he and his twin brother, Ramiro, scored goals in the same match, a rare occurrence. In the Copa Argentina, he scored two goals against Quilmes AC and San Lorenzo, helping the team reach the semi-finals. His final goal in the B Nacional, his fourth, was against Boca Unidos in the 36th fixture. On the decisive final day of the B Nacional, Funes Mori, coming on as a substitute for Fernando Cavenaghi in the second half, provided a crucial assist to David Trezeguet's first goal with a header. He later earned a penalty for his team by outmaneuvering defenders and laying off the ball to Martín Aguirre, though Trezeguet missed the subsequent spot-kick. He continued to impact the game, winning an aerial challenge and delivering a cross that assisted Trezeguet's second goal, demonstrating his influence in the team's promotion efforts.

Upon River Plate's return to the Argentine Primera División, Funes Mori missed a penalty in the opening match of the 2012 Primera against Belgrano, which resulted in a 1-2 defeat. However, he rebounded in the following match against Estudiantes, scoring two goals to secure a 2-0 victory.

3.2. S.L. Benfica

On August 10, 2013, Rogelio Funes Mori transferred to Portuguese club Benfica in the Primeira Liga, signing a five-year contract. The transfer involved River Plate receiving 2.00 M EUR from an investment group, which retained a share of his economic rights, while Benfica acquired half of the economic rights along with his full sports rights.

He made his debut for Benfica B on September 15, scoring his first goal for the club. Demonstrating strong form with the B team, he notably scored four goals against Sporting Covilhã on March 15, leading to a comprehensive 4-0 victory.

3.3. Eskişehirspor (loan)

On July 9, 2014, Funes Mori was loaned to Turkish club Eskişehirspor in the Süper Lig for a one-year period. The agreement included an option for Eskişehirspor to make the transfer permanent for a fee of 3.50 M EUR.

3.4. C.F. Monterrey

Rogelio Funes Mori made a significant move to Mexican Liga MX club Monterrey on June 12, 2015. He swiftly made an impact, scoring in the 91st minute of his debut match, a 3-2 friendly victory over Morelia. His prolific goal-scoring quickly established him as one of the league's top strikers. On August 6, 2016, he achieved his first hat-trick for the club against León.

A landmark moment in his career with Monterrey came on December 18, 2019, when he scored his 100th goal for the club during the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup semi-final against Premiere League club Liverpool. His goal leveled the score at 1-1 in the 14th minute, though Monterrey eventually lost the match 1-2. Following their participation in the Club World Cup, Monterrey competed in the Apertura 2019 championship finals against América. In the second leg, Funes Mori scored the crucial aggregate tying goal, sending the match into overtime, where Monterrey ultimately secured the title with a 4-2 victory in a penalty shootout. His outstanding performance earned him a place in the tournament's Best XI. Over his tenure, he surpassed Humberto Suazo to become Monterrey's all-time leading goalscorer in all competitions. Monterrey officially announced his departure on January 7, 2024.

3.5. Club Universidad Nacional (UNAM)

On January 9, 2024, Rogelio Funes Mori joined Liga MX club UNAM Pumas as a free agent, marking the latest chapter in his professional career.

4.1. Argentina Youth and Senior Teams

Rogelio Funes Mori's international career began with Argentina's youth national teams. On April 24, 2009, he received his first call-up to the Argentina U-18 squad alongside his twin brother, Ramiro. He played two matches at this level.

For the U-20 team, Funes Mori was initially selected by coach Sergio Batista to participate in an international tournament in Punta del Este. However, River Plate's coach at the time, Leonardo Astrada, declined to release him, prioritizing his involvement in the club's pre-season. Nevertheless, he later joined the U-20 squad for the 2011 South American Youth Championship, where he scored two goals. Notably, in a friendly match against the French U-23 national team, he scored two goals, contributing to a 3-3 draw and showcasing his abilities at the youth international level.

Funes Mori made his senior international debut for the Argentina national team in 2012. Under coach Alejandro Sabella, he was called up on September 10, 2012, for the Superclásico de las Américas match against Brazil in Goiânia, and earned his first cap on September 19. Despite this senior team appearance, he was not consistently selected for major tournaments or qualifying matches, such as FIFA World Cup qualification or the Copa América.

4.2. Switch of Allegiance to Mexico

Rogelio Funes Mori's limited opportunities with the senior Argentine national team eventually led him to consider a change in international allegiance. In early 2019, he formally inquired with FIFA about the possibility of representing the Mexico national team; however, he was initially deemed ineligible due to existing regulations.

A significant development occurred in 2020 when FIFA implemented a change of rules regarding naturalized players, which subsequently rendered Funes Mori eligible to play for Mexico. Following this rule amendment, he publicly reiterated his interest in joining the Mexican squad. The process culminated on June 14, 2021, when he was officially granted Mexican citizenship, thereby becoming eligible to represent the North American nation. This decision to switch allegiance was met with various perspectives, with some observers in his birth country noting it as a move to a "lower-tier" national team given his lack of consistent selection for Argentina.

4.3. Mexico National Team

Rogelio Funes Mori earned his first cap for the senior Mexican national team under manager Gerardo Martino on July 3, 2021, in a friendly match against Nigeria. He made an immediate impact by scoring on his debut, contributing to Mexico's 4-0 victory.

He subsequently participated in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he scored a total of three goals throughout the tournament. Mexico ultimately finished as the runner-up, losing the final 0-1 to the United States. In October 2022, Funes Mori was named in Mexico's preliminary 31-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and in November, he was confirmed in the final 26-man roster.

At the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Funes Mori's involvement took on particular significance as Mexico was drawn into a group that included his birth country, Argentina. Although he was primarily a bench player for Mexico, the highly anticipated match between Mexico and Argentina resulted in a 0-2 defeat for Mexico. Mexico's World Cup campaign saw them draw 0-0 with Poland and win 2-1 against Saudi Arabia. However, despite ending with the same points as Poland, Mexico was eliminated from the Round of 16 due to an inferior goal difference, a decision that concluded a particularly poignant tournament for Funes Mori due to the unique circumstance of facing his former national team.

7.1. Club

7.2. International

Scores and results list Mexico's goal tally first.