Why Mexico Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa Must Leave Spanish Club Malaga

Guillermo Ochoa hasn't started a single La Liga game since he arrived in Malaga last summer. The man who was Mexico’s hero during in the 2014 World Cup should be getting a lot more playing time and not just Copa del Rey matches.

Ochoa started his career with Liga MX heavyweights America. He made his professional debut in 2004, at age 18.

That same year he became the first choice of then-newly appointed coach Mario Carrillo. 

After eight years wearing Las Aguilas' jersey, Ochoa claimed three titles: Liga MX (2005 Clausura), CONCACAF Champions League (2006) and InterLiga (2008).

Overall, Ochoa appeared in 239 Liga MX matches; he allowed 312 goals and received 10 yellow cards.

His performance with America landed him a spot with El Tri in 2005. However, he couldn't make a real impact on the pitch because Oswaldo Sanchez and Oscar Perez had locked the starting position.

Ochoa kept grinding, and in 2011 he left Mexico for France. The goalkeeper signed a three-year contract with Ajaccio, a recently promoted team (link in Spanish).

The hard work paid off soon. Ochoa was the undisputed starter, and despite the club's results (The Bears finished 16th in the general table), he was honored as the Most Valuable Player of the season.

He repeated the feat in the 2012/13 season, after 38 appearances, 12 clean sheets and 128 saves.

Ochoa established himself as one of the league’s best in the following tournament. His performance against Paris Saint-Germain was superb—he denied 12 of the 39 shots the rivals sent his way.

At the end of the season Ochoa left the club.

It was a tough blow for the fans. One of them put his house on sale to help Ajaccio keep the Mexican. Meanwhile, others set up banners in the club’s final Ligue 1 game. 

Along came the World Cup. Ochoa was named Man of the Match against Brazil and Netherlands. Yes, fans picked him over Neymar and Arjen Robben.

Ochoa became a phenomenon on the Internet. According to Google Trends, searches for "Guillermo Ochoa" increased 46 times after the scoreless draw with Brazil.

After the tournament, Ochoa was a free-agent footballer looking for a club. He wanted to stay in France, but the deal with Paris Saint-Germain didn't stick and although he wanted to join Marseille the transfer didn't happen.

Eventually he joined Malaga. But he lost the starting position to Cameroon's Carlos Kameni, who after being relentlessly compared with the Mexican finally said he was fed up (link in Spanish).

Despite Ochoa's technique and leadership when it comes to organizing the defenders, he has spent most of his time with Los Boquerones on the bench.

No wonder why the transfer window seems to be the perfect option to leave Malaga, and maybe even Spain.

TheExpress' Ben Jefferson reported in December Liverpool were hoping to lure Ochoa to Anfield.

If the deal happens, he would take Simon Mignolet's place and become the first Mexican goalkeeper in the Premier League's history.

Ochoa's value rose quickly after the World Cup. Mexican website CNN Expansion (in Spanish) reported he was worth €5 million as soon as the tournament ended. When he was 18 years old and playing for Las Aguilas, his price equaled €300,000.

His skills, talent and commitment took him all the way to the IFFHS' 2014 Best Goalkeeper Top 10.

The International Federation of Football History and Statistics considers Ochoa the seventh-best goalie in the world, ahead of Spain's Iker Casillas, England's Joe Hart, USA's Tim Howard, Colombia's David Opsina and Netherlands' Tim Krul.

Ochoa is in the prime of his career. He's a 29-year-old who has been a stalwart of America, Ajaccio and Mexico. Somehow he's still the second choice of Malaga.

The club's Sporting Director doesn't believe they'll get a great offer for the Mexican in the time left of the transfer window, as he told ESPN.

Ochoa certainly deserves to arrive in a club where he can maximize his potential and be truly appreciated.

All stats appear courtesy of ESPN FC, Squawka and MedioTiempo.com, unless otherwise noted.