MEXICO CITY, April 5 (Reuters) - Former international Leonardo Cuellar, who wore Mexico's green jersey at the 1978 World Cup, says this is the year his country may finally break its long-standing "fifth-game" curse, with the tournament coming to home soil in the summer.
"My heart says so, and so does part of my head," the 73-year-old former midfielder told Reuters. "I think this time we're going to make it."
Mexico is to hold the global showdown for the third time, co-hosting the soccer extravaganza with Canada and the United States from June 11 to July 19.
The curse of the fifth game — Mexico's notorious inability to advance past the round of 16 — has haunted the nation for decades. In an expanded 48-team tournament, even reaching that stage now requires winning a round-of-32 match first, raising the stakes considerably.
Cuellar, who also represented Mexico at the 1972 Munich Olympics, urged the current squad not to get ahead of themselves.
"If you're already thinking about the fifth game, you might get stuck before that and not even have the opportunity," he said. "They need to concentrate on game by game, let their moment build."
The veteran expressed confidence in the experienced head coach Javier Aguirre, in his third stint at the helm of "El Tri," alongside assistant and former player Rafael Marquez.
He also pointed to Mexico's Europe-based players — among them Edson Alvarez, Raul Jimenez and Julian Araujo — as a potential catalyst, but warned that simply being on a European roster is not enough.
OFF-PITCH CONCERNS CLOUD WORLD CUP
Cuellar also expressed disagreement over FIFA's dynamic ticket pricing, which he said has effectively priced out the most loyal Mexican fans.
"Now the prices have been set very, very far above the means of our society ... that die-hard fan ... the one who is always there supporting, will now have to settle for a big screen."
He mentioned problems that could arise under President Donald Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown on Mexican fans living in the U.S., saying those with permanent resident status or temporary visas could face legal complications — a reality many will have to weigh before deciding to attend.
"Those in the U.S. with green cards or temporary visas could find themselves caught up in legal proceedings," Cuellar said.
Amnesty International said last month that large-scale arrests and deportations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies had torn communities apart, and could spill over into World Cup celebrations.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by William Mallard)
