Francisco Guillermo Ochoa Magaña (; born 13 July 1985), commonly known as Memo Ochoa, is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He was a full international with the Mexico national team, which he captained, and is widely considered to be the greatest Mexican goalkeeper of all time.
At club level, Ochoa made his professional debut with América in 2004, where he won the Clausura 2005 league title, the 2005 Campeón de Campeones and the 2006 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. He moved to Europe in 2011, playing for Ajaccio in France, Malaga and Granada in Spain and Standard Liège in Belgium, where he won the 2017–18 Belgian Cup. He returned to América in 2019, setting a club record for the most clean sheets, before returning to Europe with spells at Salernitana in Italy, AVS in Portugal, and AEL Limassol in Cyprus. Over his career, he made more than 750 senior club appearances.
Ochoa received his first cap for Mexico at age 20 in a friendly match against Hungary. He was selected for six consecutive FIFA World Cup squads between 2006 and 2026, joining a select group of players to achieve the feat. His international career also included appearances at two FIFA Confederations Cups, two Olympic tournaments (winning a bronze medal in 2020), two Copas América, one Toulon Tournament, one CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament, four CONCACAF Nations Leagues and seven CONCACAF Gold Cups. Winning six Gold Cup titles, he is the most successful player in the tournament's history. Prior to the start of the 2026 World Cup, Ochoa announced his intention to retire from professional football at the end of Mexico's run, concluding his career following their elimination in the round of 16.
Club career América
Guillermo Ochoa made his debut with América during the Clausura 2004 tournament against Monterrey, being only 18 years old when called up by head coach Leo Beenhakker. Ochoa quickly demonstrated his skill and talent in goal, and the young goalkeeper was thrust into the spotlight to replace injured veteran Adolfo Ríos. He would then share the starting job with Ríos after he recovered from his aforementioned injury. At the conclusion of his first season, he won the Rookie of the Tournament award.
When the Apertura 2004 tournament began, Ochoa was thought to be the heir apparent to Ríos, who had retired. However, new head coach Oscar Ruggeri brought new goalkeepers with him, among them Argentine Sebastián Saja. Ruggeri's stay at the club was marred by controversy and unpopular decisions. He was fired after only six games into the season and Ochoa was soon reinstated by new coach Mario Carrillo. Thereafter, he started every game for Club América save for incidents involving injuries or national team duty. Under Carrillo, Ochoa won his first championship with América following the Clausura 2005 season. He also won the 2005 Campeón de Campeones and the 2006 CONCACAF Champions' Cup with América. His high-level domestic performances during this period culminated in him winning consecutive Golden Glove awards for the 2006–07 season.
The peak of Ochoa's first stint with América arrived in October 2007, when he was included in France Footballs shortlist for the Ballon d'Or. He made history as the first Mexican player ever nominated for the prestigious award, finishing 30th overall in the global voting and standing out as one of only three candidates on the shortlist who did not play for a European club at the time. He sustained this elite form into early 2008, helping América win the InterLiga tournament with excellent performances, most notably in the group match against Monarcas Morelia, where he saved a late penalty kick, preserving América's 1–0 lead. By the winter of 2010, his performances drew substantial transfer interest from abroad, with British media widely reporting that Manchester United were heavily tracking the goalkeeper for the 2011-12 season."Guillermo Ochoa faces Manchester United transfer choice". Metro.uk. Retrieved 3 December 2010. Ochoa ultimately concluded his first era with Club América at the end of the Clausura 2011 tournament, following a quarter-final defeat to Monarcas Morelia, before completing his highly anticipated move to Europe."Morelia elimina al América de la Liguilla" . Aol Latino (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 May 2011
Ajaccio 2011–12 season
On 4 July 2011, Ochoa signed a three-year contract, with an additional one-year option, with French club Ajaccio, recently promoted to Ligue 1. He played in his first two friendlies with Ajaccio against Bordeaux and Real Sociedad, losing 1–2 and 0–4 respectively.
Ochoa made his official club debut on 5 August 2011 against Toulouse, losing 0–2."Ochoa debuta en la liga francesa con Ajaccio" ESPNDeportes. Retrieved 5 August 2011. On 18 and 21 December, Ajaccio won two games in a row, with Ochoa keeping two consecutive clean-sheets, his third clean-sheet in total of the season. Ochoa also contributed in 3–0 victory against Étoile Fréjus Saint-Raphaël in the Coupe de France. On 14 January 2012, he helped Ajaccio with a 2–1 victory over Auxerre, and on 21 January, he played against Valenciennes in a 2–1 victory which put Ajaccio out of the relegation zone since the start of the season. Ajaccio won its sixth game with Ochoa in a 2–1 home win against Dijon. For the last game of the season, Ajaccio needed a win against Toulouse to escape the relegation zone. Ochoa started and played 90 minutes against Toulouse and helped Ajaccio win 2–0 to stay in Ligue 1. Ochoa finished his first season with 8 clean sheets, 43 saves and 151 blocks."Player profile Guillermo Ochoa (AC Ajaccio)". Ligue 1. He also finished the Ligue 1 season with 59 goals conceded, making him—along with Caen goalkeeper Alexis Thébaux—the most scored-on goalkeeper of the season. AC Ajaccio fans voted him as Player of the Season.
2012–13 season On 1 July, Ajaccio club president Alain Orsoni announced Ochoa would stay for the 2012–13 season amidst rumoured interest from clubs such as Fenerbahçe and Sevilla, but neither the clubs nor Ochoa's manager could come to a solid agreement.
On 11 August, Ochoa started and played against Nice in a 1–0 away win for their first game and win for the season. On 19 August, Ochoa played in Ajaccio's 0–0 draw at home against Paris Saint-Germain, in which he played a big part by keeping a clean sheet. In the third match of the season, Ochoa played 60 minutes against Valenciennes in which he had to be substituted out due to a collision with a teammate. Ajaccio lost the match 0–3. Ochoa finished the season with 12 clean sheets. He was voted again by fans as Player of the Season.
2013–14 season Ochoa started in Ajaccio's first game of the season on 11 August 2013 against Saint-Étienne. Ajaccio lost 0–1. On 18 August, Ochoa played all 90 minutes against Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes, with Ajaccio taking an early 1–0 advantage, though an Edinson Cavani goal in the 86th minute cost Ajaccio a famous victory, instead having to settle for a 1–1 draw. Ochoa's performance was praised, with many noting the Mexican had saved 12 of PSG's 39 total shots.
On 18 January 2014, Ochoa played his 100th match in Europe in Ajaccio's 0–2 away loss to Nice. Following a 1–2 defeat to Bastia on 20 April, Ajaccio were officially relegated to Ligue 2 after spending three years in the top flight. Ochoa played his final match with the club on 17 May in a 1–3 defeat to Saint-Étienne. After officially announcing his departure, the club bid farewell to Ochoa in an open letter on social media.
Málaga 2014–15 season Following his standout performances at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Ochoa signed a three-year contract with Spanish La Liga club Málaga on 1 August 2014. Despite arriving with high expectations and participating in pre-season, he found himself relegated to the substitutes' bench, as manager Javi Gracia preferred Carlos Kameni as his first-choice goalkeeper. Ochoa eventually made his competitive debut for the club on 3 December in a 1–1 Copa del Rey draw against Deportivo de La Coruña, but returned to the bench in the following league game.
By early November, his lack of playing time drew public frustration from Mexico national team manager Miguel Herrera, who expressed displeasure with his first-choice goalkeeper receiving limited playing time, and sparked widespread media speculation of a possible winter transfer to Liverpool. However, the January transfer window closed without a move, with Málaga management stating they were pleased to retain Ochoa, adding the player had been "a professional".
Despite his lack of club minutes, Ochoa's international profile earned him a seventh place ranking in the International Federation of Football History & Statistics' list of the world's best goalkeepers for 2014.
2015–16 season Ochoa's status as a backup continued deep into his second season with the club. He finally made his long-awaited La Liga debut on 5 March 2016 during a 3–3 draw with Deportivo La Coruña, stepping in as a 36th-minute substitute after Kameni sustained an injury. This marked Ochoa's first league appearance in over a year. With Kameni sidelined, Ochoa capitalised on the opportunity and stepped into the starting lineup for the remainder of the campaign. He ultimately made 11 league appearances, recording three clean sheets and helping the team secure an eighth-place finish.
Granada (loan) On 22 July 2016, Granada announced they had acquired Ochoa on a season-long loan. He made his league debut on 20 August in a 1–1 draw against Villarreal and went on to play every minute of Granada's league campaign.
During the season, Ochoa set a new La Liga record for the most goals conceded in a single campaign, ultimately conceding 82 goals as Granada were relegated to the Segunda División, having only won four matches in the season. Despite the high number of goals conceded, Ochoa's individual performances were highly regarded; he led all goalkeepers across Europe's top five leagues by making 162 saves over the course of the season. In recognition of his efforts, Granada fans voted him the club's Player of the Season.
Following the conclusion of his loan and the expiration of his contract with Málaga, Ochoa became a free agent at the end of the 2016–17 season.
Standard Liège
On 9 July 2017, it was announced Belgian club Standard Liège had signed Ochoa on a two-year contract. He made his league debut on the 30th of the month in a 1–1 draw against KV Mechelen. Ochoa quickly became the club's first choice goalkeeper and played 38 out of 40 league games during the 2017–18 season as Standard Liège finished as runners-up in the Belgian Pro League playoffs. He was also part of the squad that won the 2017–18 Belgian Cup, defeating Genk 1–0 in the final.
The following season, Ochoa played in every league match with Standard, including eight matches in the Europa League, and he was named the club's Player of the Season. In May 2019, Ochoa suggested that he would leave Standard Liège.
Return to América
On 5 August 2019, Ochoa returned to Club América on a three-and-a-half-year deal. Though details of the transfer were undisclosed, it was reported that Ochoa would be the highest-paid Mexican player in the Liga MX, earning US$4.4 million annually. He chose the number 6 jersey, as the numbers 1, 8, and 13 – numbers he has previously worn throughout his career – had already been registered. On 24 August, he played his first match for América since 2011 against Tigres UANL, which ended in a 1–1 draw. The team went on to reach the Apertura championship finals and faced Monterrey, with Ochoa playing in both legs and managing to save Stefan Medina's penalty kick in the subsequent shootout, though it was not enough to prevent Monterrey from winning 4–2 on penalty kicks, following a 3–3 draw on aggregate.