Guillermo Ochoa and an economic sacrifice in search of the World Cup
"Memo" plays for AEL Limassol in Cyprus. The Mexican sought to stay at a good level and left behind his millionaire salaries in Mexico
Guillermo Ochoa is 40 years old, but the Aztec goalkeeper remained firm in his desire to participate in his sixth World Cup. “Memo” played for AEL Limassol, a club for which he would have left behind the million-dollar salary claims he received in Liga MX.
Since January 2023, Guillermo Ochoa made the decision to leave Liga MX to try his luck, again, in European football. “Memo” played for Águilas del América, a club where he earned a good sum of money.
The reports placed Guillermo Ochoa as one of the highest paid footballers in the entire Liga MX, for the 2022-2023 season. “Memo” earned about $3.5 million dollars annually with the azulcrema team.
Currently, with the intention of reaching the 2026 World Cup, Guillermo Ochoa sacrificed his comfort zone and his salary. According to information compiled by Heraldo Deportes, “Memo” earns around ?480,000 euros annually at AEL Limassol.
Without a doubt, this is a significant salary reduction. The veteran goalkeeper of the Mexican team would have risked everything to stay in a good tournament. According to the UEFA coefficient, the Cyprus League is the 17th best rated in Europe. The Cypriot tournament is ahead of leagues such as those in Scotland and Sweden.
Everything for the World Cup
Guillermo Ochoa always had serious intentions of competing in his sixth World Cup. The great feat of “Memo” began in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The Mexican goalkeeper was a substitute in all the games and did not enter any match. The same thing happened in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
In the 2014 World Cup in Brazil Guillermo Ochoa would begin to see action. In fact, “Memo” has accumulated 11 consecutive games defending El Tri's goal in World Cups. Ochoa retains this record in the World Cups in Brazil 2014, Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022.
In general terms, “Memo” has accumulated 990 minutes played in World Cups. Guillermo Ochoa has 4 clean sheets and wants to continue inflating his numbers in the 2026 World Cup. For now, the Aztec must focus on earning a place on Javier Aguirre's final list.