A couple of days from that Mexico in front of Poland in his World Cup debut QatarThere are still doubts about the starting eleven that the coach will send to the field Gerard Martino. César Montes is not one of the unknowns.
Montes is immovable in the Mexican central defense, and will be one of those in charge of marking the Polish star Robert Lewandowski.
“We know of his capacity and what he is developing right now at his club and how important it is for his team,” said Montes, who at the age of 25 will play the first World Cup of his career. “It will be a nice challenge to mark him.”
Lewandowski, winner of the Golden Boot for the best scorer last season in Europe, is also Poland’s all-time scorer, with 76 goals. And he leads the table of gunners in the Spanish League, author of 13 goals for Barcelona.
“It will be something unique for me, we will have to worry about other players, but it is clear that he is the benchmark in his club and in the national team,” said Montes. “It will be a nice meeting and we will prepare to be victorious.”
“Cachorro” Montes was part of the Olympic team at the Rio 2016 Games and at the Tokyo 2020 Games, where he collaborated to win the bronze medal.
After playing with teams with an age limit, he made his senior debut in 2017 with Colombian coach Juan Carlos Osorio, but did not make the final roster for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
When Martino took office in January 2019, Montes became one of the darlings of the South American strategist, who used him as a starter in the World Cup qualifier and played 90 minutes in nine of the 10 games. Only against Panama did he come off the substitution after 65 minutes.
“In the national team I have gained confidence, I feel that I developed my best version for the national team,” added Montes. “Now I want to fulfill that dream as a child, there is a lot of effort and sacrifice behind it, you have to keep working the same way to achieve great things.”
After the tie, Martino continued to trust the defender from Monterrey in the Mexican league. In the seven games in preparation for Qatar 2022, Montes started five of those.
It goes without saying that Martino has blind faith in him.
“I am grateful for the confidence of the coach, in the tie I had responsibility by starting and now I must continue responding on the field,” added the player. “For me, being able to play matches at this level will be different in a World Cup with a different and unique atmosphere.”
At 1.96 meters tall, Montes is one of the strengths of a Mexican defense that historically suffers against forward-playing teams such as Poland.
“I feel happy, but with a lot of responsibility,” he said. “I like the pressure and when there are important games and I will do so with the national team”.
Now the defender will have a baptism of fire in his first World Cup against one of the best scorers in history.
“Personally, I am experiencing one of my best moments, I have had a good process and I feel ready,” he added. “We played eleven against eleven against Poland, we know his qualities as a striker and it will be important to be attentive”.