Hirving Lozano on missing the 2026 World Cup: he battled depression and is now cheering from the sidelines with the LA Galaxy

Some decisions are made with the head but hurt in the heart. That's what happened to Hirving "Chucky" Lozano with the 2026 World Cup. He was left off the roster for the tournament played across Mexico, the United States and Canada, and although he looks back on it calmly today, at the time it was a blow that led him, by his own account, into a period of depression.

The forward went into the World Cup cycle without match rhythm, after several months on the fringes at San Diego FC, the club that left him out of its plans for the 2026 season. That lack of continuity ended up costing him his spot on Javier Aguirre's roster, and with it, the chance to play his third World Cup with Mexico.

I don't regret it. Of course it hurt, I fell into a depression, ask my wife. Even so, I enjoyed it, I experienced it as a fan. I'm always going to support the national team, whichever side I'm on.Hirving Lozano

The interesting thing is that, far from shutting himself away in frustration, Lozano decided to stand by the team from a different vantage point. He followed every match, stayed in touch with several of his former teammates and sent them encouragement before each game. "I congratulated my teammates because I have a group chat with some of them. They did a great job and I supported them in every single match," he explained. For a player who carries the ball "in his DNA," as he describes himself, watching from the other side of the field was far from easy, though he does credit it with something rarely afforded in a player's career: quality time with his family, close to his wife and kids.

The talk with Aguirre and an open door with Rafa Marquez

He shared all of this at his presentation with the LA Galaxy, the club he joined on a one-year loan for the rest of the 2026 cycle. Before that move, there was a key conversation with Javier Aguirre about his situation at San Diego. Lozano remembers it fondly: the coach understood what he was going through and held no grudge over his absence from the squad.

Now, with this fresh start in Los Angeles, "Chucky" is once again looking toward the Tricolor, though he's not taking anything for granted. He knows the call is largely up to Rafa Marquez, Aguirre's assistant, with whom he hasn't yet discussed a possible call-up. "I haven't had a conversation with Rafa. I think he wants to see how I'm doing first, how I'm feeling in terms of football and physical condition, and based on that he'll decide whether I'm fit to join the national team," he said. The two have known each other for years and shared a locker room back when Lozano was still just a promising prospect, so the door remains open if Marquez decides to knock.

A word of advice for Santiago Gimenez

Before wrapping up, Lozano also weighed in on the possible move of Santiago Gimenez to Lazio, the club run by Gennaro Gattuso, his former coach at Napoli. His relationship with the Italian was demanding, almost combustible at first, but it ended up being a positive one.

With Gattuso it was a very strange story, but in the end we had a really good relationship. If Santi goes there, my advice is to enjoy it. He's a coach who's always on top of you, trying to get the best out of you.Hirving Lozano

For Lozano, it would be "a great opportunity" for Gimenez and "something really nice" to join a big club like Lazio, though he warned that the Mexican forward needs to be ready for the level of demand that comes with Gattuso, who, in his own words, "is going to be on top of you at every moment, every second."