Flores played for England at under-16 level and later made three senior appearances for Mexico before switching allegiance to Canada earlier this year. eligibility rules allowed the move because those Mexico appearances came before he turned 21.
The choice was about more than football. Mexico was the first senior national team to give Flores a pathway, but Canada offered the chance to represent the country where he was born. His switch carried personal significance as well as tactical value for a Canadian side preparing for its home tournament.
Instead, the injury arrived just a day after his call-up, turning celebration into heartbreak.
Flores’ club journey has been just as unconventional. Arsenal signed him from Ipswich Town in 2019 after he was spotted in the Cayman Islands, where his father was managing the women’s national team.
He signed a professional contract in north London and reached the first-team bench, but never made a senior appearance for Arsenal. His development continued elsewhere, with a move to Tigres in 2023 giving him a platform to show his attacking instincts. A hat-trick against Necaxa in 2024 underlined the talent Canada believed could add invention to its World Cup squad.
Canada must now rethink its attacking options, while Flores faces the difficult work of rehabilitation. The tournament opportunity may be gone, but his international story is not finished.
The next chapter will be judged by his recovery and his response. If Flores can return to his best, Canada may yet regain the player whose journey between Mexico and Canada made him one of football’s most distinctive eligibility stories.