Zinha Hopes To Repay Mexico Boss’ Faith

Antonio Naelson “Zinha” and manager Jose Manuel De La Torre have always had a bit of a strong bond. When the two were in Toluca, Zinha was one of De La Torre’s confidants on the field and helped lead Toluca to two league titles in that span.

Now that De La Torre has taken over the Mexican national team, Zinha has once again re-emerged on the scene.

“At my club he gave me total confidence,” Zinha told reporters. “I hope to pay him back now that he’s given me this opportunity.”

Zinha was among the players De La Torre called on for the friendly matches against Paraguay and Venezuela. Zinha was also called on for Mexico’s February match against Bosnia but was unable to go due to injury. He insists he’s feeling better now.

“I’m 100 percent fit, which is what I sought after,” he said. “Now I have to take advantage of it.”

While the focus of this stretch is for De La Torre to look at players for both the Gold Cup and Copa America, Zinha said he cannot worry about the summer and whether he stands a chance of helping Mexico contend for international titles.

“You have to take steps to get there first,” Zinha said. “For now let’s think about the games that are coming up.”