Guillermo Ochoa has spent half his life as the last line of defense for the Mexican national team.
At 39 years old, he remains Mexico's top goalkeeping option, having begun his 20-year international career in 2005 as a 20-year-old rookie. During that time, he represented Mexico in four FIFA World Cup tournaments. He was a backup in the Cups and another game (2006). He is now pushing himself to lead the group in 2026, when Mexico joins Canada and the United States to host the biggest stage in soccer history.
It's not unusual for goalkeepers to play for one club or country for decades, but for those who have been following the CONCACAF member nation closely, Ochoa's time in Mexico feels like it spans a generation. It must be.
Ochoa, better known as “Memo,” played in 151 senior-level games for the national team, during which time he won a record five at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the largest national tournament made up of teams from North and Central America. He contributed to the championship. He is considered one of the most successful players in the tournament, mainly because he was the longest-serving mainstay in the tournament.
For most of his club career, he was on the roster of Mexico's famous team, Club América, where he played for two stints from 2004 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2022. He has made 357 appearances for Club América, with even more total appearances for his other eight clubs, including his most recent match with AVS Futebol in the Portuguese First Division.
The move to AVS was a strategic one, as there were rumors that he was considering a move to Major League Soccer after leaving Italian club Salerto Nitana earlier this year. However, he told reporters that the move was primarily to draw attention to Mexico as it seeks to qualify for its sixth FIFA World Cup, making Ochoa a member of one country's sixth World Cup squad. He said he will be the only player to achieve this record.
Ochoa said, “The motivation for me is to keep getting to know this new league and keep the idea of joining the Mexican national team with hope and playing in the next World Cup.” ESPN coverage in September.
“It won't be easy.”
Looking at his performance at the last World Cup in Qatar, Ochoa's desire to return comes from proving wrong those who claimed he was done for after Mexico's unfortunate exit in 2022. Some may say.
Mexico missed out on the group stage for the first time since 1978, as Ochoa conceded a late goal against Saudi Arabia and El Tri fell in the standings, losing the tournament on goal difference.
After the match, he partially blamed himself for Mexico's shortcomings, but also said that the youngest Mexican player in the FIFA World Cup tournament showed that as a team they had a lot to gain from this loss. . We will develop for the future with an eye on 2026.
“You shouldn't ask yourself whether you're moving forward or backward based on results,” Ochoa told reporters. After losing to Saudi. “It's a mistake to say every four years the cycle ends and you start from scratch. That's one of the mistakes and experiences I had to live with and shouldn't have made. We have young people who are gaining experience and taking a new step forward. And we have to lead them towards the next World Cup, and it won't be easy.”
Mexico doesn't need to qualify for 2026 as hosts, but they are looking for lessons learned from a group four years older and wiser, defined by the painful memory of their 2022 group stage exit.
Could Ochoa be one of them? It's still too early to tell, but looking at his track record, it will be hard to forget what 'Memo' has always been between the posts as the last line of defense for the Mexican federation.
