Only Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Guillermo Ochoa have played in six World Cups.
This time, he played only 12 minutes in the tournament, coming on as a substitute in Mexico’s 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic, receiving thunderous applause at the Azteca Stadium, where he debuted in 2004, then representing the Mexico City team “Club America”.
“I gave everything; I left everything on the field for my clubs and the national team, and today I hang up my gloves,” G. Ochoa wrote.
Previously the main goalkeeper for Mexico in several championships, the Mexican played a total of 153 matches for the national team.
Bidding farewell to football, he emphasized the essence of a goalkeeper’s game:
“Being a goalkeeper means knowing that you might have to wait 90 minutes for that one moment when everything depends on you. And when that moment comes, you cannot disappoint.”
G. Ochoa first represented Mexico at the World Cup in 2006 in Germany, and then traveled with the national team to South Africa in 2010, Brazil in 2014, Russia in 2018, and Qatar in 2022, where he gained even more fame by saving Robert Lewandowski’s penalty kick.
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During his 22-year club career, the legendary Mexican played in France, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, and last season represented AEL Limassol in Cyprus.
