Mexican soccer legend Borgetti inspired by Valenzuela, baseball

NEW YORK -- Mexico has had a penchant for leaving its mark on the biggest of sports stages. One athlete from the nation that certainly stands out is soccer legend Jared Borgetti.

When the former striker’s name comes up, most people immediately remember one of the most iconic goals not only in the Mexican National Team’s history, but also in World Cup history: An almost-magical header with his back to the goal that stunned legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to open the scoring during a group stage match between Mexico and Italy in the 2002 World Cup.

As the protagonist of one of the more notable moments for Mexico in international sports, Borgetti references the accomplishments of a legendary baseball player as something that impacted his life just as much.

“We Mexicans always have someone that you look up to growing up; in my case, it was obviously Fernando Valenzuela,” Borgetti said during a Zoom interview with MLB Español. “He inspired us not only to play baseball, but practically showed us that we could accomplish anything we set our minds to, and that we could fight to be among the best no matter where you come from.”

Borgetti’s career path took him as a player to the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. With the Mexican National Team, he scored a total of 47 goals. He was also the first Mexican footballer to play in the English Premier League. In Mexico, he won a Primera División title with Santos Lagunas in the 1996-97 season, and later won a Saudi Premier League crown with Al-Ittihad Club in the 2006-07 season. But as a native of the city of Culiacán, in Sinaloa state on the Pacific coast -- one of the areas in Mexico where baseball is most present -- the sport was a significant part of his roots.

“Being from Sinaloa, baseball obviously is always present, and I played it as a kid,” recalled Borgetti, a fan of Tomateros de Culiacán in the Mexican Pacific League (LMP). “I always played it, as well as soccer. At the end of the day, soccer became my main focus, but until I was 12 or 13, I played organized [baseball]. After that, I still played it for fun.”

Nowadays, Borgetti enjoys following the exploits of another Dodgers superstar: Shohei Ohtani. Like most fans, Borgetti feels lucky to witness Ohtani’s prowess as a pitcher and hitter.

“I think Ohtani is in a class of his own,” Borgetti said. “I also like that Ohtani is even more athletic … he breaks that mold of the player that can only be a pitcher. I think, basically, we’re looking at an athlete that changes the game completely and hopefully he can be an example for future generations of ballplayers -- that they can see themselves in him.”

Even with high-profile soccer tournaments this summer -- Mexico defeated Team USA last Sunday to claim the Gold Cup championship, and the FIFA Club World Cup semifinal stage is being played this week -- Borgetti still doesn’t lose sight of his Dodgers. After seeing them win a title last year that he described as something that they were destined to reach, he hopes that Los Angeles can accomplish something that hasn’t happened in Major League Baseball in 25 years: a repeat championship.

“The unfortunate death of Fernando Valenzuela to me seemed to motivate the Dodgers even more to take that championship," said Borgetti of last year’s World Series win over the Yankees in five games. “Let’s do it again! They have to repeat!”

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC ON THE HORIZON
Before focusing on the FIFA World Cup that will take place in Mexico, the United States and Canada in 2026, Borgetti showed great enthusiasm for next year’s World Baseball Classic, in which Mexico -- once again playing under manager Benji Gil -- will be in Pool B along Team USA, Italy, Brazil and Great Britain.

“I’m hoping to see Mexico put together a good roster,” Borgetti said. “They have some good players. I think they’ll be able to compete and could be fighting for the championship again. [Gil] is a great manager. We’re in good hands.”