Saturday, March 25, 2006 | 7:16 a.m.
Enrique Borja sat in his London hotel room in July 1966, on the eve of Mexico's first game against France in the World Cup, and told a friend his feelings.
"It was my first World Cup, so it was important for me," Borja said. "And I was talking about fate. I told my friend I wanted to play in the World Cup. I didn't know how many games I'd play, but I thought I'd play."
Nothing was certain about that Mexican team. In his international debut two months earlier, against Chile in a tournament in Mexico City, Borja scored a goal. Then he was benched. And then Mexico lost a warm-up game, 5-0, to Italy.
"I don't know what happened in Mexico," he said, "but the people were angry with the national team."
Which is why Borja, thinking changes would be made, figured he'd have a chance to play in England. Coach Ignacio Trelles complied, and No. 20 - Borja - started the opener July 13 against France at Wembley Stadium.
Borja gave Mexico a 1-0 lead in the 48th minute with what has been widely described as an "alert" goal.
Javier Fragoso had passed to Aaron Padilla, Borja's teammate at Universidad, who centered the ball in the box to Borja. His left-footed attempt deked French goalkeeper Marcel Aubour one way, but Borja had completely missed the ball.
His momentum turned him around and Borja tapped the ball the other way, by Aubour, where it hit the back of the net.
Inside the appropriately named Celebrity Club downtown Tuesday, Borja, 60, recalled the goal that launched his career.
"In all parts of the world, people were watching and cheering. It opened the gates for me in soccer life," he said.
Mexico lost to England, 2-0, three days later. Not an unexpected result at Wembley. Then the Mexicans' fate was sealed in a 0-0 draw with Uruguay. A victory would have sent Mexico through to the knockout stage of the tournament.
Four years later, Mexico played host to the event. It advanced to the quarterfinals, where Italy eliminated the home side, 4-1, in Toluca.
A poor relationship with coach Raul Cardenas limited Borja's playing time to the first half of a group-stage match against El Salvador and the final half hour against Italy, and quashed a chance to play in Europe.
At Club America, Borja led the Primera Division in scoring with 20 goals in 1970-71, 26 in '71-72 and 24 in '72-73. He scored 31 times in 65 games during a 10-year run with the national team.
Borja has been involved with the Special Olympics in Mexico. In addition to serving as president of top clubs Necaxa and Tigres, he was on the FIFA Organizing Committee for Korea/Japan 2002.
During his two-year reign as the president of the Federecion Mexicana de Futbol, Mexico won its first world trophy - the FIFA Confederations Cup - in July 1999.
Politics, the Mexico City resident said, has no place in soccer. He prefers another "P" word.
"Passion," Borja said. "That's a very important word for me. It's one of the most important feelings a human being can have. And I feel passion for soccer."
Torneo Mexicana
Borja, who remains soccer royalty in Mexico, dropped into Las Vegas for the second time in two months to promote the Torneo Mexicana, a tournament that starts in 15 U.S. cities next month in celebration of the Mexican airline's 70 years of service to this country.
Borja is the president of ProSport, which specializes in sports administration and will oversee the Torneo Mexicana.
Two dozen male and female teams, composed of players 15-19 years old, will compete in each city. The second stage of the tournament will be held in four Mexican cities. The registration deadline for Las Vegas is April 3.
For more information, call (866) 538-4955 or go to www.torneomexicana.com.
Borja said the goal of the tournament is to create more opportunities for kids to be spotted by collegiate or professional scouts. Major League Soccer teams in Chicago, Denver, Dallas and New York have pledged their support.
"Perhaps some of these boys and girls will be stars tomorrow, here or in Mexico," Borja said. "You can accomplish dreams, but nobody gives you anything for free. You have to work.
"You also have to win. Someone in the Olympics said it's most important to compete. I think it's most important to win, not tie or lose. Like in the World Cup, you need to win.
"The winners write the history."
Staying positive
Mexico's best World Cup results were in 1970 and '86, when it reached the quarterfinals. In Germany this summer, it is in Group D with Angola, Iran and Portugal.
Cuauhtemoc Blanco's flimsy status with coach Ricardo La Volpe, the one-year suspension of defender Salvador Carmona for failing an anti-doping test and a spate of injuries, most recently to Rafael Marquez, cast some doubt on Germany 2006.
Marquez, the Mexican captain, is a versatile 27-year-old who suffered a hamstring injury for Barcelona in last Saturday's 2-0 victory at Real Sociedad. One report called the injury a torn thigh muscle.
"Angola, Iran and Portugal will be tough games," Borja said. "But when you play in the World Cup, you never play with easy teams. But we believe we'll have the opportunity to pass to the next step."
Quotable
Peter Osgood, stricken by a fatal heart attack at a family funeral in England on March 1, once poignantly summed up the celebrity status he enjoyed at Chelsea in the early 1970s.
"Those were the days - when Raquel Welch walked along the touchline to wave goodbye to me in the middle of the match, when Steve McQueen would come into the dressing room and exchange gossip as he sat on the edge of the bath."
Welch, by the way, once famously wore a "I scored with Osgood" T-shirt.
Corner kicks:
The team makes its debut April 23 against 2004 USL champion Montreal Impact at Tropical Park in Miami. It is coached by Chiquinho de Assis, who discovered Dida, the starting goalkeeper for the Brazilian national team and A.C. Milan in Italy's Serie A.
Tickets are $30 and $20, and juniors are half price. Go to www.unlvtickets.com for more information.
Bilbao, which has an all-Basque policy, is a La Liga founding member, with Barcelona and Real Madrid, that has never been relegated.
Match of the week
Juventus at Arsenal, Tuesday
Scoring ace Thierry Henry gets Juve, atop the Serie A in Italy, at home at Highbury in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. The second leg will be staged at the Delle Alpi in Turin on April 5.
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