Among the ten AC Milan players participating in the World Cup, despite a league season with zero goals, there is also Santiago Giménez, striker for Mexico. The Rossoneri centre-forward, before leaving for the global tournament, was interviewed in the series dedicated to the competition by Cronache di Spogliatoio entitled “Road to World Cup 2026”. Below are all his statements.
You play for Mexico but were born in Argentina: how do you experience this meeting of cultures?
"You’re right, my parents were living in Argentina and I was born there: when I was two years old I moved to Mexico. And while my close family lives in Mexico, my grandparents, uncles, and cousins are all Argentine. If there’s a Mexico-Argentina clash? I don’t know who my grandparents would support, I’ve never asked them (laughs). My grandparents are very patriotic, from Buenos Aires. Mexico is a wonderful country with a unique culture: if you go there, you should enjoy the food but also the social aspect, because you are welcomed in an amazing way. It doesn’t matter if you’re Mexican or foreign, the doors are always open to you. You can also enjoy some of the best beaches in the world for holidays: Mexico has everything."
Mexico is very large but also very close to your culture and roots…
"Mexico is a country with a lot of history. We always try to represent that history in everything we do: we must not forget our roots, where we are from and where we come from. In a very football-oriented country, bringing our roots onto the shirt at a World Cup will be something incredible."
What country did you find in Italy when you arrived?
"I think Italy is very similar to Mexico. I believe Italy, Mexico and Argentina have many things in common. I also have an Italian passport: I think this is also a country with good food, beautiful beaches, great weather, and incredible people. I am very happy: they welcomed me fantastically and there are many similarities. My father has Italian roots and so do my paternal grandparents. On my mother’s side I have Ukrainian roots: I am a mix of everything. My grandmother told me I should go to a specific place whose name I can’t remember, near Milan, a couple of hours away: I hope it’s near the sea. I’ve played in Italy but had never visited or been on holiday there. It has been a new and unique experience that has impressed me and continues to impress me while living in Milan."
On the unusual story with your wife...
"I met my wife while playing a video game: when we started talking we realised we lived just a few houses apart. So we said we should meet up. We were very lucky. So we went out, met, went ice skating because we both like it, talked about life and that’s how we got to know each other. Very romantic. Now I don’t play video games much, but during the Covid period I played almost every day…"
In the last two years you’ve always spoken highly of Milano and AC Milan:
"I always say I am grateful to the people and the club, they helped me fulfil a dream. I’ve always said that since I was a child I was an AC Milan fan, and that is true because I was able to watch a golden era of Milan, trying to watch as many matches as possible. And now that I am here, my dream has come true. The city also surprised me and I like it. We really enjoy living here."
What memories do you have of AC Milan matches you watched from Mexico?
"I always remember that when there was the Milan-Inter derby, we would organise ourselves because we had to watch it. Both teams had incredible players. I think that rivalry, back when I was a child, was like today’s Barcelona–Real Madrid. I had a Kaká shirt when I was little, and I had many shirts as a child. I also had one of Ronaldinho."
What role does faith have for you? Santiago Gimenez said:
"At 17 I was diagnosed with thrombosis: doctors told me my career was at risk. That is when I became very close to God, I found my answers in God and placed my hope in Him. In the end, the miracle happened and today I feel I was born again, I became a new person from that moment: an experience that made me stronger. I clearly remember the exact moment when I had this personal encounter with God and felt He was present there. At that time, after that experience, I had a couple of surgeries where I went into the operating theatre but I knew everything would be fine: the certainty of having God with me and that nothing would happen.”
What relationship do Mexico fans have with you? Gimenez commented:
"Mexico is very, very football-oriented. Few players come to Europe compared to other countries. So I think it is every Mexican’s dream to play in Europe. And if I am here, I have a great responsibility to inspire and motivate all children to fight for their dreams and to show that everything is possible. I feel that responsibility, and thanks to God I feel that through hard work and my actions I can inspire many children: it is a big responsibility."
Is that support also important during difficult moments, like recently when you haven’t been scoring? How do you deal with these periods?
"As in life, you always have good and bad moments. But since I met God, I have found emotional stability: in bad moments I have faith that everything will be fine and that I am preparing, that the battle will be short and will not last forever. But also the opposite: when I am in a good moment, I feel God keeps me humble and calm. There are ups and downs. I have an anecdote: once at Feyenoord I argued with a teammate, things that happen, and the next day we made peace. But many Mexicans wrote to me on Instagram to defend me. I have thirty million Mexicans behind me supporting me."
At AC Milan there is no "breakfast club" like there was at Feyenoord?
"No, we don’t do it here now, because the type of work is different in many respects. We did it at Feyenoord. Together with a fitness coach, who helped me a lot, we decided to create this club where, before breakfast, we trained a bit, then had breakfast, and then did the normal training. It started with the two of us but others began to see us and joined in, growing more and more: after two years it felt like a team session before the actual training.”
How did the nickname “Bebote” and the nose strip come about?
"Since I was a child, in my family they called me Bebote. A close friend of my father, Tito Villa, a commentator for Mexican television, when I started playing in the top division, since he was very close to my family and knew they called me that, after I scored a goal he shouted: ‘Goal by Bebote!’. From that moment people started calling me that. The nose strip also started with the same coach in Rotterdam. We did breathing work, and when he put it on me for the first time it was incredible: I started running with it and felt great, and began playing that way.”
