Genoa and Mexico heart again Johan Vasquez speaks with us about discovering a house in Serie A, making ready for the World Cup, and taking part in below Italian legend Daniele De Rossi.
In the previous few seasons, Johan Vasquez has emerged as an actual pillar on the again for facet .
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Having signed from for round €4 million in 2021, the defender’s worth and prominence has elevated multi-fold. That has been fairly evident in latest months.
The Italian facet have witnessed a restoration below the tutelage of Italy legend , who changed earlier within the marketing campaign. Genoa began 2026 on a five-match unbeaten streak, and though they dropped their final two matches, there was a transparent shift within the membership’s high quality.
Vasquez’s presence has been fixed all through the marketing campaign. Reliably sufficient, the Mexico worldwide has performed almost each minute of the Serie A season, taking part in a full 90 in 23 of Genoa’s 24 matches, together with his solely sub off coming within the 73rd minute of the workforce’s win over Bologna on January 25.
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Vasquez additionally turned Genoa’s captain forward of the 2025-26 season, with Viera handing him the armband on matchday one, and he’s retained the place ever since. At 27, the middle again has performed himself like a real chief of a facet that remains to be fairly younger.
Consistency has change into an indicator for the Mexico worldwide, who has seen Genoa undergo a good quantity of ups and downs. He has caught with the membership, whereas changing into a well-recognized determine in Serie A.
“The final 4 years have been nice development on a sporting degree, but additionally on a human degree,” Vasquez mentioned. “In Genoa I turned a father and I grew lots in on a regular basis life. I arrived right here at 22 years previous, now I’m 27 and I’m a extra mature particular person.”
The Genoa captain understands how vital this season is, with the upcoming looming sooner or later. Incomes the management function was an actual honor, and whereas he’s nonetheless targeted on the membership marketing campaign, it would lay down a basis for his efficiency this summer season on the worldwide stage.
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“Being the captain of Genoa is an honor,” Vasquez mentioned. “From the start I knew that this season could be crucial, a season that may finish with the World Cup, however to get there in the appropriate means I first have to consider Genoa, about doing properly right here, and that’s my first and solely thought in the meanwhile.”
Vasquez was a part of Mexico’s squad for the however he didn’t get an look within the competitors and located himself on the bench for all three video games. He’s come a good distance over the past 4 years, and is in his finest kind within the run as much as what may very properly be a very powerful event of his profession — particularly with Mexico serving as a co-host.
If Vasquez needs recommendation on how you can carry out on the world’s greatest sporting occasion, he needn’t look additional than his present supervisor. One of many biggest to ever put on the Italian Azzurri package, De Rossi was the youngest member of the successful squad, and regardless of serving a four-match suspension throughout the event, he returned within the closing and transformed his penalty try en path to victory.
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De Rossi is tied for the fourth-most caps for Italy, and donned the long-lasting No. 10 shirt, making him a great supply for mentorship.
“I hope that in some unspecified time in the future throughout this season I will speak to the supervisor about this, clearly about every little thing he skilled in his nice profession as a footballer on the World Cup,” Vasquez mentioned. “For my part these are issues that may assist me lots in my very own expertise, however there will probably be time to speak about them and I don’t need to rush issues with out desirous about the current, which for me is Genoa.”
Photograph by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Photos
His primary precedence stays the 2025-26 marketing campaign, and Genoa, presently in fifteenth within the Serie A desk, are nearer to the relegation zone than they’d prefer to be. Vasquez is aware of higher than to get caught up within the hype of a event nonetheless months away.
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“The World Cup remains to be a good distance off,” Vasquez mentioned. “And to get there in the appropriate means I’ve to maintain doing higher right here at Genoa. It’s needed to concentrate on the current, and solely each day work will enable me to reach on the World Cup at my finest second.”
As Vasquez is unable to sit up for this summer season’s World Cup simply but, we’ll do it for him. Whereas Mexico mechanically certified as one of many three co-hosts, they weren’t completed any favors with their group draw, which options South Africa, South Korea, and both Denmark, the Czech Republic, North Macedonia, or Eire.
It received’t be a straightforward route, however Mexico is hoping to succeed in the quarterfinals for the primary time since 1986, and to avenge their group stage exit at Qatar 2022. Vasquez figures to play an enormous function in these ambitions.
He has 42 caps for El Tri, and starred within the 2025 closing, offering an help in Mexico’s 2-1 win over the USA.
“I need to go a good distance with Mexico,” Vasquez mentioned. “We now have not certified for the quarterfinals and I would like to get there. It will be a dream.”