A farewell Cameo at the Azteca

Unlike Ronaldo and Messi, who played every minute of their teams' matches at the last World Cup, Ochoa saw only a handful of minutes on the pitch this tournament. Coach Javier Aguirre brought him on in the 78th minute of Mexico's final group-stage match against Czechia – a game Mexico had already qualified from – sending the crowd at Mexico City's historic Azteca Stadium into raptures.

Ochoa had also been named in Mexico's squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa but did not play a single minute at that tournament.

154 caps and a farewell message

"Memo" closes out an international career that began in 2005 with 154 appearances for El Tri. Announcing his retirement on social media, Ochoa wrote that he had given everything for his clubs and for the national team and that it was time to hang up his gloves — bringing down the curtain on a career that took him through nine clubs across seven countries.

From Guadalajara to Europe and back

Born in Guadalajara, Ochoa began his career in Mexico in 2004 before testing himself in Europe with spells in France (Ajaccio), Spain, Belgium, Italy and Portugal.

He built his reputation on remarkable reflexes and shot-stopping, cementing his status at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with an unforgettable performance against the host nation that ended goalless. In 2018, he added to the legend with another standout display against Germany, who lost 1-0 to Mexico that day.