The 2026 World Cup co-host, Mexico, is out of the competition following an intense 3-2 loss to 10-man England at the Mexico City Stadium (Estadio Azteca).
The Mexican National Team made an impressive run at this World Cup, winning their first four games without conceding a single goal.
Before the start of the WC, legendary goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa announced that he would retire from the sport after the tournament. With El Tri out of the tournament, the keeper took to social media to share a heartfelt exit following the team’s impressive run on home soil.
Mexican Goalkeeper Shares Heartfelt Message
GettyGuillermo Ochoa says goodbye to the sport of football
Guillermo Ochoa will retire a legend in Mexican football with a career spanning over 23 years, playing almost 700 professional matches and 153 caps for his country.
The goalkeeper will retire a five-time CONCACAF Gold Cup winner, CONCACAF Nations League winner, CONCACAF Champions Cup winner, Mexican Clausura winner, Campeon de Campeones winner and a Belgian Cup winner.
Following Mexico’s exit from the World Cup, Ochoa shared a heartfelt message on Instagram thanking his supporters.
“For Mexico, everything. It was the greatest privilege of my life. Thank you for making our hearts race, for believing, for always standing by us. I love you, Mexico,” Ochoa wrote on the social media post, translated to English using Google.
Known for his time with Liga MX side Club America, Memo Ochoa was named the goalkeeper of the season three times in his career in Mexico.
Ochoa made his final club appearance for Cyprus club AEL Limassol, playing 22 games for the Mediterranean team. The legendary keeper played his last match for the Mexican National Team in the final match of the 2026 World Cup group stage against Czechia, entering in the 78th minute, recording a clean sheet.
Now, after 23 years and one of Mexico’s best players in history, Guillermo Ochoa will retire as a legend of the game.
Who Replaces Guillermo Ochoa?
GettyThe Mexican National Team will have to find their Guillermo Ochoa replacement
Now that Guillermo Ochoa is retired, the Mexican National Team will have to find a long-term replacement. As noted above, Ochoa has played over 150 games for El Tri, leaving a gap on the team.
Memo did not play much for the National Team in recent years, leaving two options as the next first-choice keeper for La Selección Mexicana.
The first option for Mexico’s next goalkeeper is Club América’s Luis Malagón. He was set to be between the posts at the World Cup, but suffered a ruptured Achilles, forcing him to miss out. With time to heal until the next iteration, Malagón could become the next América keeper to make his mark on the Mexican National Team.
With Luis Malagón injured, Raúl Rangel stepped up in his place. The Chivas player, as noted above, logged four clean sheets this World Cup.
In four years, soon-to-be Mexican National Team head coach Rafael ‘Rafa’ Marquez will have to decide the starting goalkeeper, with these two leading the way.
If either Malagon or Rangel can keep up their performances over the next four years, they could become a legend for El Tri like Guillermo Ochoa.
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