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The farewell of an icon

Guillermo Ochoa, the Mexican goalkeeper who played in six World Cups, announced his retirement from professional soccer. At 41 years old, the goalkeeper who is the symbol of the Tricolor and multiple champion with América, shared the news on his social networks.

“I gave everything, I left everything… In my teams and in my selection. And today I hand in my gloves,” he wrote.

His career spanned more than two decades. From his beginnings in Coapa to shining in Europe with Ajaccio, Málaga, Standard de Lieja and Salernitana. In Mexico, he defended América in two stages and won League, Cup and Concachampions titles.

An indelible legacy

Ochoa was a starter in five consecutive World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022) and came on as a substitute in 2002 without playing. His performance against Brazil in 2014 and his saves against the Netherlands in 2014 are part of the collective memory.

In addition, he won the bronze medal at Tokyo 2020 as part of the Mexican under-23 team.

“My national team taught me the true size of this responsibility. And perhaps that is why destiny wanted everything to end where it began: the Azteca Stadium,” he said.

His farewell closes a chapter for Mexican soccer. He leaves a record of matches with the National Team (150+) and an example of professionalism.

“To whoever comes after, trust: the bow does not ask for perfection, it asks for pride,” concluded Ochoa.

Road to debut

On July 30, the Mexican under 23 team will debut against Venezuela at the Cibao stadium in the Dominican Republic. This is how their participation in the Central American and Caribbean Games begins, where they will seek to defend the gold medal obtained three years ago in El Salvador.

Led by Eduardo Arce, the team will face Vinotinto, the hosts and Guatemala in the first phase. Mexico is the country with the most gold medals in men’s soccer in the history of the tournament. They know that they are obliged to repeat.

Voices from the squad

Necaxa’s central defender, Diego Ochoa, recognized the challenges: “It will be a complicated tournament, we are aware of that. We will enter the Dominican Republic where we do not know the conditions or what the field will be like. It is always difficult to play against rivals from Central America, they risk their lives. We have the demand, we are obliged to win. The pressure does not scare us, on the contrary, it motivates us and forces us to raise the level.”

Ochoa also spoke about the connection with the fans: “We continue with that nostalgia of pride that they made us all feel in the recent World Cup. We want to make people feel the same. We don’t have the same media impact as the majors, but we want to make everyone feel proud.”

Eduardo Arce analyzed the rivals: “We know Guatemala a little better. We had some friendly matches with Venezuela, we don’t know who they are going to take, but we already have some progress.” He concluded that “the obligation is always there, and even more so in these competitions where Mexico stands out. You always have to try to win.”

Economic incentives for athletes

Hours before the start of the Santo Domingo 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games, the Mexican delegation received encouraging news. The National Commission of Physical Culture and Sports (Conade) confirmed economic incentives for those who obtain medals.

In individual tests, gold will pay 50 thousand pesos; silver, 30 thousand; and the bronze, 15 thousand. In shared competitions, the amounts are: 30 thousand for first place, 15 thousand for second and 10 thousand for third place. For teams, each member will receive 15 thousand for gold, 10 thousand for silver and 8 thousand for bronze.

Recognition of coaches

Coaches will also be rewarded based on the performance of their athletes. In individuals: 50 thousand pesos for each gold, 24 thousand for silver and 7,500 for bronze. In shared tests: 30 thousand, 12 thousand and 5 thousand, respectively. In teams: 15 thousand, 8 thousand and 4 thousand.

According to Conade, both athletes and coaches will only receive the incentive of the highest value medal they achieve during the competition. Mexico will seek to confirm its dominance in the regional medal table.