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Mexico international Julián Araujo believes his national team can deliver success in the future but has asked fans to be patient.
El Tri, under coach Jaime ‘Jimmy’ Lozano, won the Gold Cup in July but have received criticism of late for their style of play and their troubled qualification to the Concacaf Nations League semifinals.
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“We need to continue to build,” Araujo told ESPN.
“We are very ambitious, we all want the best. We all want to succeed, we all want to win a World Cup.”
Araujo echoed Mexico great Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández’s sentiment that time is needed for the national team to get results.
“We have to have patience because we are all young, we all want to learn,” Araujo said.
“We’ve had a lot of criticism. It’s a country that loves football. We have a great talent. A lot of legends that came out of Mexico, a lot of legends that will come out of Mexico. They [fans and media] are holding a high standard.”
Araujo believes Lozano is the right coach for the team.
“We are very happy with him,” he said.
“He has brought in a lot of great new players that will be the future. He keeps players that hold us down and hold the group together. We have a lot of great talent coming out.”
Mexico needed penalties to overturn a 2-0 deficit and edge Honduras to reach the Concacaf Nations League semifinal on Nov. 21. and earn a place in the 2024 Copa America, to be held in the U.S.
“We will continue to build and learn,” Araujo said. “We have to be our best versions of ourselves when we go there [to the national team]. We have to play with attitude.”
Araujo, 22, is looking forward to getting more minutes with the national team.
“I am very patient,” he said.
“Everything is going to come at my time. I don’t regret going every time and not playing sometimes.
“For me it is an honour to be there. Just to be on the bench and be wearing the jersey meant so much to me.”
Meanwhile, the California-born Araujo is happy with his situation at LaLiga side Las Palmas.
He is on loan at the club from Barcelona, whom he joined from MLS side LA Galaxy on Feb. 2023.
“I had a conversation with [Barça coach] Xavi and we knew that [Las Palmas manager Francisco Garcia] Pimienta was going to be a good coach for me,” he said.
“He is going to help me develop, someone that can mentor me and take me to the next level.
“I knew coming here was going to be difficult because I was coming from the MLS and I hadn’t played in Europe. I’m coming to one of the best leagues in the world. For me it’s about getting better, trying to get as much game time as I can. My goal is to obviously go back to Barcelona.
“They [Barça] are monitoring me. They are very happy with my progress. I need to continue to perform at the highest level, I need to stay consistent. I need to be calm, playing without any pressure.”