Marcelo Flores, once one of Arsenal’s brightest academy prospects, is considering switching his international allegiance from Mexico to Canada, joining Jesse Marsch’s national team setup ahead of their November training camp.
Flores, 22, was born in Georgetown, Ontario, to a Canadian mother and Mexican father, and made three senior appearances for Mexico after rising through their youth system. Under FIFA regulations introduced in 2021, players capped three times or fewer before turning 21 can make a one-time nationality change.
That provision would allowed Flores to represent the country of his birth.
Although he will not feature in Canada’s friendlies against Ecuador and Venezuela during the upcoming international break, he has been named as a “training player”, a move designed to integrate him into Marsch’s group before a potential competitive debut in 2026 World Cup qualifying.
“He’s become more and more eager to really consider what it would be like to be a Canadian national team member,” Marsch said. “With how multicultural this country is, we’d be foolish not to try to use every resource possible to get the best players under our umbrella.”
It marks a significant change of heart from Flores, who in 2022 declared that he would represent Mexico “wholeheartedly for the rest of my professional life.” That commitment came after John Herdman, then Canada’s head coach, had attempted to call him into camp in 2021 only for pandemic restrictions to intervene.
A technically gifted attacking midfielder, Flores joined Arsenal’s academy from Ipswich Town in 2019 and quickly emerged as one of Hale End’s standout prospects, earning a place in The Guardian’s “Next Generation” list and training regularly with the senior squad under Mikel Arteta.
He signed his first professional contract in 2020 and made the bench for the Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace in April 2022 but never made a competitive appearance before moving to Tigres UANL in 2023 for €815k.
Since leaving Arsenal, Flores has shown flashes of his ability in Liga MX, including a 10-minute hat-trick against Necaxa, and remains highly regarded in Mexico despite limited opportunities with Tigres. His decision to switch to Canada appears motivated by the prospect of a central role under Marsch and the chance to help shape a team preparing for a home World Cup in 2026.
Footballing pedigree runs deep in the Flores family. His father, Rubén Flores, is a former professional and coach, while sisters Silvana and Tatiana both came through Arsenal’s women’s setup before joining Chelsea and Tigres Femenil respectively.
Canada’s inclusion of Flores, alongside Alfie Jones and Owen Goodman, underscores Marsch’s commitment to broadening the player pool. The former Leeds United coach has made it clear that his project extends beyond the next World Cup cycle, with an emphasis on creating a defining identity and raising ambition.