Guillermo Ochoa, one of the greatest goalkeepers in Mexican history, has announced his retirement from professional soccer, ending a career that has spanned more than two decades.
Ochoa, the first goalkeeper in history to play in six different World Cups, confirmed his decision on social media on Tuesday. Ochoa came on for the final 12 minutes of Mexico’s 2-0 win over the Czech Republic in the World Cup group stage and was met with a standing ovation from the Azteca Stadium crowd, where he made his senior debut for Club America in 2004.
“I gave it my all; I left everything on the field for my clubs and the national team (Mexico), and today I hang up my gloves,” Ochoa wrote on social media, according to ESPN.
“Being a goalkeeper means knowing you might wait 90 minutes for a single moment when everything depends on you. And when that moment arrives, you cannot hesitate.”
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The 41-year-old first represented Mexico on the world stage at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and has since played in the 2010 South Africa, 2014 Brazil, 2018 Russia, and 2022 Qatar World Cups. He rose to fame worldwide with his brilliant goalkeeping performance against Brazil in 2014 and saving a penalty from Poland’s Robert Lewandowski in 2022.
During his club career, the legendary goalkeeper played in France, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, and Cyprus.
