Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa’s emotional World Cup farewell leaves lasting legacy for Mexico fans - BERITAJA

He said Ochoa’s beingness added “a consciousness of security” that Mexico could support a cleanable expanse against immoderate team.

“I really deliberation he’ll beryllium remembered alongside Jorge Campos, erstwhile group inquire who the champion Mexican keeper of each times has been,” Martínez said.

Eva Santana, 40, of Chicago, has been supporting “El Tri” arsenic a family contented since she was a child.

“It doesn’t conscionable consciousness for illustration the extremity of a career, it feels for illustration the extremity of a portion of our childhood,” she said about watching Ochoa’s return to the pitch.

“For others it’s Ronaldo aliases Messi, but for Mexicans it’s Memo,” Santana said. “He has fixed fans hope, particularly erstwhile Mexico was up against the world’s champion teams. For galore of us, he’ll ever beryllium remembered arsenic the goalkeeper who stood gangly erstwhile Mexico needed him most.”

Posts connected Mexico’s nationalist squad page of Ochoa are flooded pinch comments for illustration “Leyenda” (legend), “Capitán por siempre” (forever captain) and “No Memo nary party.”

On a post for a raffle to triumph his jersey, 1 instrumentality wrote: “Memo, I’ve followed your profession since I was conscionable 10 years aged … looking backmost now, I recognize I’ve spent much than half my life admiring you.”

His ain teammates are among his fans.

Gilberto Mora, Mexico’s 17-year-old starlet attacker, told FIFA earlier this month: “Memo Ochoa is my idol.”

“When I was increasing up, I utilized to watch the nationalist team’s matches, and Memo was ever successful goal, making saves to support america successful the game. Now being capable to play alongside him connected the transportation and telephone him a team-mate is simply a dream travel true.”

Guillermo Ochoa, goalkeeper for Mexico, reacts aft Wednesday's lucifer against Czechia, apt his past earlier retiring.Jam Media / Getty Images

At the extremity of Wednesday’s game, Ochoa walked to his correct and planted a buss connected the goalpost. He turned, walked to his near and kissed that one, too, a farewell to the structures he stood betwixt complete the people of his much than 20 years arsenic a professional.

Ochoa took a knee successful beforehand of the extremity and crossed himself again. His teammates made their measurement complete and surrounded him, jumping successful celebration. Then, they tossed him into the aerial arsenic the ranchera classical “El Rey” — the king — played about them.

Ochoa will stay pinch the squad arsenic it proceeds into the knockout stage, though it’s unclear but improbable that he’ll play again. But if Wednesday nighttime was his past stand, it was much than a triumph — it was a representation to past a lifetime.

“Having the opportunity to adjacent retired coming pinch this, successful the stadium that saw maine beryllium born, that saw maine grow, I deliberation it was the cleanable ending, the finishing touch, and pinch the emotion that the group showed me,” he told Telemundo Deportes. “I’m going to transportation this pinch maine arsenic the champion infinitesimal I’ve ever had pinch the nationalist team.”