Guillermo Ochoa

América

Guillermo Ochoa made his debut with América during the Clausura 2004 tournament against Monterrey, being only 18 years old when called up by coach Leo Beenhakker. Ochoa quickly demonstrated his skill and talent in goal, and the young goalkeeper was thrust into the spotlight to replace injured veteran Adolfo Ríos. He would then share the starting job with Rios after he recovered from his aforementioned injury.

When the Apertura 2004 tournament began, Ochoa was thought to be the heir apparent to Ríos, who had retired. However, new coach Oscar Ruggeri brought new goalkeepers with him, among them Argentine Sebastián Saja. Ruggeri's stay at the club was marred by controversy and unpopular decisions. He was fired after only six games into the season and Ochoa was soon reinstated by new coach Mario Carrillo. Since then, he has started every game for Club América barring incidents involving injuries or national team duty. Under Carrillo, Ochoa won his first championship with América following the Clausura 2005 season. He also won the 2005 Campeón de Campeones cup and the 2006 CONCACAF Champions' Cup with América.

In October 2007, Ochoa was named in France Football's list of candidates for the Ballon d'Or, being one of only three players named to not play in Europe.

Ochoa would start 2008 in great form, helping América win the InterLiga tournament with excellent performances, most notably in the group match against Monarcas Morelia, where he saved a late penalty kick, and América's 1–0 lead.

In the winter of 2010, there was much speculation by various sources in England as to where Ochoa would move to for the 2011–12 season. English newspaper Metro reported that Manchester United were keen on signing Ochoa. It was also reported by The Daily Mail that Ochoa was handed a trial with Fulham. This was later denied by Fulham manager Mark Hughes, and Club América later issued a statement saying the deal fell through due to conditions set by Fulham.

Guillermo Ochoa's last season with América was the Clausura 2011, which ended with a quarter-final defeat to Monarcas Morelia.

2011–12 season

On 4 July 2011 Ochoa signed a three-year contract, with an additional one-year option, with the recently promoted Ajaccio. Ochoa played in his first two friendlies with Ajaccio against Bordeaux, losing 1–2 and against Real Sociedad, losing 0–4.

He made his official club debut on 5 August 2011 against Toulouse, losing 0–2. On 18 and 21 December Ajaccio won two games in a row, with Ochoa keeping two consecutive clean-sheets, his third clean-sheet in total of the season. Ochoa also contributed in 3–0 victory against Étoile Fréjus Saint-Raphaël in the Coupe de France. On 14 January 2012 he helped Ajaccio with a 2–1 victory over Auxerre, and on 21 January he played against Valenciennes in a 2–1 victory which put Ajaccio out of the relegation zone since the start of the season. Ajaccio won its sixth game with Ochoa in a 2–1 home win against Dijon. For the last game of the season Ajaccio needed a win against Toulouse to get out of the relegation zone. Ochoa started and played 90 minutes against Toulouse and helped Ajaccio win 2–0 to stay in the Ligue 1. Ochoa finished his first season with 8 cleansheets, 43 saves and 151 blocks. Unfortunately he also finished the Ligue 1 season with 59 goals conceded, making him, along with Caen goalkeeper Alexis Thébaux, the most scored-on keeper of the season.

2012–13 season

On 1 July, Ajaccio's club president Alain Orsoni announced that Ochoa would stay for the 2012–13 season amidst rumored interest from clubs such as Fenerbahçe and Sevilla, but neither the clubs nor Ochoa's manager could come to a solid agreement.

On 11 August, Ochoa started and played against Nice in a 1–0 away win for their first game and win for the season. On 19 August, Ochoa played in Ajaccio's 0–0 draw at home against Paris Saint-Germain, in which he played a big part by keeping a clean sheet. In the third match of the season Ochoa played 60 minutes against Valenciennes in which he had to be substituted out due to a collision with a teammate. Ajaccio lost the match 0–3. Ochoa finished the season with 12 clean sheets.

2013–14 season

Ochoa started in Ajaccio's first game of the season on 11 August 2013 against Saint-Etienne. Ajaccio lost the match 0–1. On 18 August, Ochoa played all 90 minutes against Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes, with Ajaccio taking an early 1–0 advantage, though an Edinson Cavani goal in the 86th minute cost Ajaccio a famous victory, instead having to settle for a 1–1 draw. Ochoa's performance was praised, with many noting that the Mexican had saved 12 of the 39 total shots by PSG.

On 18 January 2014 Ochoa played his 100th match in Europe in Ajaccio's 0–2 away loss to Nice. Following a 1–2 defeat to Bastia on 20 April, Ajaccio were officially relegated to the Ligue 2 after spending three years in the top flight. Ochoa played his final match with the club on 17 May in a 1–3 defeat to Saint-Etienne. After announcing his departure officially, the club bid farewell to Ochoa in an open letter on social media.

2014–15 season

Ochoa signed a three-year contract with La Liga club Málaga on 1 August 2014. Despite having participation with the club during the pre-season, Ochoa had not made any league appearances, with Carlos Kameni being manager Javi Gracia's first-choice goalkeeper. On 3 December, Ochoa played his first competitive game for Málaga, in a 1–1 Copa del Rey draw against Deportivo de La Coruña. In the following league game against the same team, three days later, he was again back on the substitute's bench.

By early November, media speculation linked Ochoa with a possible January move to Liverpool in a £4million deal. While rumours continued to flourish, and Mexico manager Miguel Herrera expressed displeasure with his first-choice goalkeeper receiving limited playing time, no move had materialized by the end of the January transfer window, with Málaga expressing they were pleased to retain Ochoa, adding that the player had been "a professional".

Ochoa was ranked seventh in the IFFHS's list of the world's best goalkeepers for 2014.

2015–16 season

On 5 March 2016, Ochoa made his debut in La Liga in Málaga's 3–3 draw with Deportivo La Coruña, replacing Carlos Kameni due to injury in the 36th minute. It was Ochoa's first league appearance in over a year.

Granada (loan)

On 22 July 2016, Granada CF announced they had acquired Ochoa on a season-long loan. He made his league debut on 20 August in a 1–1 draw against Villarreal. It was reported in April 2017 that Ochoa was set to be a free agent at the end of the 2016–17 season due to the expiry of his contract with Málaga.

On 13 May, Ochoa broke the record for the most goals conceded in a single La Liga season when he conceded his 79th and 80th goals in a loss to Osasuna. The record, set by Salamanca goalkeeper Ignacio Aizpurúa in 1995–96, had previously stood at 78 goals for a single campaign. Ochoa was, however, the goalkeeper with the most saves across the top five leagues in Europe. He ultimately conceded 82 goals as Granada were relegated to the Segunda División, having only won four matches for the season.

Ochoa ended up playing every minute of Granada's season and was voted Player of the Season by the club's fans.

Standard Liège

On 9 July 2017, it was announced Belgian club Standard Liège had completed the signing of Ochoa from Malága on a two-year deal.

International career

On 14 December 2005, at the age of 20, Guillermo Ochoa made his debut for the Mexico national team in a friendly match against Hungary, which Mexico won 2–0. Ochoa was called up by coach Ricardo La Volpe for the 2006 FIFA World Cup as the third-choice goalkeeper. Newly appointed manager Hugo Sánchez called Ochoa into the national side as a deputy to Mexico's then-number one, Oswaldo Sánchez. He was a part of the squad which finished runner-up at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He also played for Mexico at the 2007 Copa América, most notably in the 2–0 victory over Brazil, with Ochoa being praised for his performance. Ochoa won the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup with Mexico; he started in every match, including the final against the United States. He made his 2010 World Cup qualification debut on 28 March 2009 against Costa Rica. Ochoa made the final 23-man cut for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but was controversially named back-up goalkeeper to veteran Óscar Pérez.

During the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Ochoa, along with four other members of the Mexico national team, tested positive for the banned substance Clenbuterol and were withdrawn from the team's tournament squad. All players were later acquitted by the Mexican Football Federation and the results were blamed on contamination of meat, with the ingestion of clenbuterol considered non-intentional. However, the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to request a ban. But on 12 October 2011, WADA withdrew the request after the full file was available for them.

2014 World Cup

On 9 May 2014 Ochoa was named in Mexico's 23-man squad for the 2014 World Cup. He started in Mexico's opening match against Cameroon on 13 June, which ended in a 1–0 victory for Mexico. The match was Ochoa's debut in a World Cup, having been called up for the previous two tournaments but failing to appear in a match.

On 17 June, in the second group stage match against hosts Brazil, Ochoa made four notable saves, including one following a powerful header from Neymar that helped secure a 0–0 draw, immediately drawing comparisons to Gordon Banks' famed 1970 World Cup save against Pelé. Ochoa was named man of the match, earning praise from many, including Brazilian head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. Ochoa himself commented on his performance, saying: "It was the match of my life. To do it in a World Cup, in front of all the fans, it's incredible."

Ochoa conceded one goal in the group stage, in the 3–1 victory against Croatia that qualified Mexico for the Round of 16. Ochoa started in Mexico's knock-out game against The Netherlands, in which he made several crucial saves to hold on to Mexico's 1–0 advantage, however the Dutch went on to win 2–1 with a penalty at the 91st minute. Ochoa's performance was praised, and he was named man of the match for a second time.

Personal life

In 2006 Ochoa dated Mexican actress, singer, and songwriter Dulce Maria. The pair split a year later.

After his move to France he began dating Mexican model Karla Mora. On 8 February 2013, the couple gave birth to a girl, Lucciana, in Corsica. The couple welcomed their second child, a son, on 1 April 2015, one day after Ochoa's national team teammate Andrés Guardado's son was born.

Ochoa chooses to play internationally with the jersey number 13, after his birthday on 13 July.

Club

Club

International