Mexican-Canadian figure Marcelo Flores commits to El Tri

Mexican-Canadian prospect Marcelo Flores has announced he will be representing El Tri “wholeheartedly” for the rest of his professional career.

In his official statement, the player expressed in detail his relationship to Canada, Mexico and England, but ultimately confessed his commitment to his birth country.

“I’ve been thinking about these questions for a while. I’ll probably never be able to fully answer them. And although I have not been able to discover the answers, I do know this: being different does not make me less Mexican. Today, I speak from the heart and feel the need to communicate something I’ve known to be true for a while that I think is important you hear directly from me.

“I will represent Mexico wholeheartedly for the rest of my professional life,” he stated.

The Arsenal figure’s decision ends the longstanding recruitment mission by both countries. Prior to his commitment, Canadian head coach John Herdman addressed Flores' situation, adding he wanted the player on the roster. But despite his best efforts, his connection to Mexico was too strong.

After cementing his international allegiance, the player continued to address the previous World Cup comments he made, urging he wanted to be a part of the tournament.

“So what’s next? For my part, I plan to continue training as I always have. I am aware that my career is just beginning, and I have a lot of work ahead of me. Do I want to go to the upcoming World Cup? Sure, every Mexican child dreams of playing in a World Cup, but I recognize that decision is not for me to make. I will focus on getting better every day and being ready for when those opportunities come around,” he said.

Flores is the latest dual-citizenship player to commit to Mexico after Mexican-American figures David Ochoa and Julian Araujo opted for FIFA’s one-time switch to represent El Tri.