In association football, the goalkeeper (or keeper, or goalie) occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal. The goalkeeper is the only player who is permitted to touch the ball with his hands or arms in open play (within his own penalty area). Each team is required to have a goalkeeper on the field at all times during a match. If a goalkeeper is forced to leave a match due to injury or being sent off, another player must occupy the post if the team has no substitute goalkeeper available and/or has used up its allotted substitutions.

''Goalkeeper'' is often abbreviated ''GK'' in lineup cards, match reports, and TV captions. The terms ''keeper'' and ''goalie'' are also commonly used. This position is colloquially referred as 'custodian' or 'the man between the posts' (or 'sticks').

Goalkeepers on average have the longest playing career of any position in football, often playing into their early 40s.

History

Football, like many sports, has experienced many changes in tactics that have generated positions, as well as made positions disappear. Goalkeeper is the only position which is certain to have existed since the creation of the rules of the sport. Even in the early days of organised football, when systems were limited or non-existent and the main idea was for all field players to attack and defend, teams had a designated member to play as the goalkeeper.

The earliest account of football teams with player positions comes from Richard Mulcaster in 1581; however, he does not specify goalkeepers. The earliest specific reference to keeping goal comes from Cornish Hurling in 1602. According to Carew: "they pitch two bushes in the ground, some eight or ten foot asunder; and directly against them, ten or twelve score off, other twayne in like distance, which they term their Goals. One of these is appointed by lots, to the one side, and the other to his adverse party. There is assigned for their guard, a couple of their best stopping Hurlers". Other references to scoring goals begin in English literature in the early 16th century, for example in John Day's play ''The Blind Beggar of Bethnal Green'' (performed circa 1600; published 1659): "I'll play a gole at camp-ball" (an extremely violent variety of football, which was popular in East Anglia). Similarly in a poem in 1613, Michael Drayton refers to "when the Ball to throw, And drive it to the Gole, in squadrons forth they goe". It seems inevitable that wherever a game has evolved goals, some form of goalkeeping must also be developed. David Wedderburn refers to what has been translated from Latin as to "keep goal" in 1633 (however, contrary to media reports in 2006 he does not refer to the noun "goalkeeper". This is important as being a goalkeeper implies a fixed position throughout a match, whereas "keeping goal" suggests a temporary, fluid position accorded to whichever player or players find themselves nearest the goal. Wedderburn provides no evidence of such a fixed position on the field. It is not clear that what he meant by a goal was the same as modern usage; his word "metum" in the original Latin means the object to mark the end of a chariot race).

Initially, goalkeepers typically played between the goalposts and had limited mobility, except when trying to save opposition shots. Throughout the years, goalkeeping has evolved, due to the changes on systems of play, to be a more active role. Goalkeeper is the only position in which you can use your hands in the game of soccer. The original Laws of the Game permitted goalkeepers to handle the ball anywhere in their half of the pitch. This was revised in 1912, restricting use of the hands by the goalkeeper to the penalty area and goal box.

In the mid-20th century, goalkeepers like Amadeo Carrizo pioneered a playing style that involved more mobility. He also helped introduce new techniques and strategies that would become a standard for the position. Carrizo was the first goalkeeper to wear gloves, the first one to leave the penalty area to defend his goal, and the first one to use goal kicks as a strategy to start counter attacks.

In 1992, the International Board made changes in the laws of the game that affected goalkeepers – notably the back-pass rule, which prohibits goalkeepers from handling the ball when receiving a deliberate pass from a teammate that is made with their feet (the pass can be made with all the others parts of the body except hands). As a result, all goalkeepers were required to improve controlling the ball with their feet.

General play and technique

The goalkeeper position is the most specialised of all positions on the field. Unlike other players, goalkeepers may touch the ball with any part of their body while in their own penalty area. Outside of their penalty area, goalkeepers have the same restrictions as other field players. They are also "protected" from active interference by opponents within their own goal area .

Perhaps the most spectacular move a goalkeeper routinely performs is the extension dive. To execute this maneuver properly, they push off the ground with the foot nearest to the ball, launching themself into a horizontal position. At this point, the ball may be caught or simply pushed away. In the latter case, a good goalkeeper will attempt to ensure that the rebound cannot be taken by a player on the opposite team, although this is not always possible.

Above all other techniques which a goalkeeper may possess—whether it may be eye-hand coordination or communicative skills—if a goalkeeper can master the use to angles and timing, he or she will be deemed remarkable. For instance, if an oncoming offensive player is dribbling towards the goal uncontested, a goalkeeper can use precise timing in order to narrow the angle in which the offensive player can shoot the ball in order to score a goal. If he or she challenges the attacker correctly, the angle in which the offensive player could shoot and score will be very narrow, which results in the offensive attack to be stopped. Also, whenever a direct or indirect free kick is taken, if the goalkeeper is correctly positioned with the angle in mind, the odds of a resulting goal are limited.

Responsibilities

The tactical responsibilities of goalkeepers include:

To keep goal by physically blocking attempted shots with any part of their body. The keeper is permitted to ''play'' the ball anywhere on the field, but he may not ''handle'' the ball outside the penalty area.

To take free kicks from deep into their own territory and goal kicks.

To organise the team's defenders during defensive set pieces such as free kicks and corners. In the case of free kicks, this includes picking the numbers and the organisation of a defensive man wall. The 'wall' serves to provide a physical obstruction for the incoming ball. Occasionally, goalkeepers may opt to dispense with the wall. Some goalkeepers are also entrusted with the responsibility of picking markers while defending at set pieces.

To pick out crosses and attempted long passes either by punching them clear or collecting them in flight.

Although goalkeepers have special privileges one of which is having the ability to touch the ball with their hands under the laws of the game, they are otherwise subject to the same rules as any other player. Due to the increasing importance of crosses and set pieces that put the ball in the air, the goalkeeper is often the tallest member of the team, and most stand over 183 cm (6 feet) tall in professional competition, with many well-known keepers standing particularly tall at over 193 cm (6 feet, 4 inches).

Goalkeepers in playmaking and attack

Goalkeepers are not required to stay in the penalty area. They may get involved in play anywhere on the pitch, and it is common for them to act as an additional defender during certain passages of the game. Brazil's Rogerio Ceni, Colombia's René Higuita, France's Fabian Barthez, Mexico's Jorge Campos, and Zimbabwe's Bruce Grobbelaar were notable for their foot skills and their constant play outside the penalty area. Goalkeepers with a long throwing range or accurate long-distance kicks may be able to quickly create attacking positions for a team and generate goal-scoring chances from defensive situations, a tactic known as the long ball.

Some goalkeepers have even scored goals. This most commonly occurs where a goalkeeper has rushed up to the opposite end of the pitch to give his team an attacking advantage in numbers. This rush is risky, as it leaves the goalkeeper's goal undefended. As such, it is normally only done late in a game at set-pieces where the consequences of scoring far outweigh those of conceding a further goal, such as for a team trailing in a knock-out tournament. As goalkeepers are usually tall, often taller than all the outfield players, they can be successful at connecting with headers.

Though this action rarely succeeds, it is regular enough to have occurred a number of times in professional football: goalscoring goalkeepers include Dimitar Ivankov, Michelangelo Rampulla, Peter Schmeichel, Mart Poom, Steve Ogrizovic, Marco Amelia, Andrés Palop, Jens Lehmann, Brad Friedel, Massimo Taibi, Jimmy Glass, Adam Federici, Paul Robinson, Michael Petkovic, Federico Vilar, Daniel Aranzubia, Chris Weale, Gavin Ward and Mark Crossley.

Some goalkeepers, such as Rogério Ceni and José Luis Chilavert, may also be expert set-piece takers. These players may take their team's attacking free kicks and even penalties. Ceni, São Paulo FC's long-time custodian, has scored 100 goals in his career, more than many outfield players.

In some even rarer situations, goalkeepers have even scored goals unintentionally, when a ball kicked downfield has caught the opposing goalkeeper out of position. Jung Sung-Ryong, Paul Robinson, Jason Matthews, Palatsi, Andrew Lonergan, Dragan Pantelić, "Neco" Martínez, Michael Petković and Pat Jennings are also examples of goalkeepers who have scored under such circumstances. One notable example came in the final of the 2003 CAF African Champions League, in which El Ahly goalkeeper Essam El Hadary created a goal by driving an indirect free kick from near his penalty box into the post of opponent's goal; the ball then hit the back of the goalkeeper and flew into the net.

Equipment and attire

Goalkeepers must wear clothing that distinguishes them clearly from other players and match officials, as this is all that the FIFA Laws of the Game require. Some goalkeepers have received recognition for their match attire, like Lev Yashin of the Soviet Union, who was nicknamed the "Black Spider" for his distinctive all-black outfit; Klaus Lindenberger of Austria, who designed his own variation of a clown's costume; and Jorge Campos of Mexico, who was popular for his colourful attire.

Most goalkeepers also wear goalkeeper gloves to improve their grip on the ball, and to protect themselves from injury. There are now gloves that have features designed to prevent injuries, such as sprained fingers. Gloves now include "fingersaves", which help prevent injuries such as jammed and sprained fingers. Fingersaves are a type of hard plastic put in the back of the finger part of the glove. Gloves are not mandatory; however, due to the increased grip they give, it is very rare for a goalkeeper to play without them in professional matches. At UEFA Euro 2004, Portuguese goalkeeper Ricardo famously took them off during the quarter-final penalty-shootout against England and became the first goalkeeper to save three penalties in a World Cup Finals penalty shootout.

When assigning numbers to players on the team, if a squad number system is not in use, the number 1 shirt is usually reserved for the goalkeeper. However, goalkeepers are not required to wear the number 1. For example, Argentine Ubaldo Fillol wore the numbers 5 and 7 at the 1978 and 1982 FIFA World Cups, respectively. This often happens when a team has already assigned the shirt number to a goalkeeper, but brings in a new player who subsequently becomes the starter. Examples of this situation in recent years are José Reina of Liverpool and Tim Howard of Everton. Even in these cases, the player is usually referred to as the team's "number one". Sixteen is often a popular number for goalkeepers in France and its former African colonies.

Czech Republic and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Čech wears a head guard, after having fractured his skull in a Premier League match against Reading, and a few goalkeepers, most notably Miguel Calero and Chris Kirkland, wear baseball style caps to shield their eyes from the sun. Calero has also worn a bandana while keeping goal for Club Pachuca.

Records

Goalkeepers are crucial in penalty shoot-outs. The record for most penalties saved in a shoot-out is held by Helmuth Duckadam of FC Steaua Bucureşti and Ciaran Kelly Sligo Rovers F.C . Duckadam defended four consecutive penalties in the European Champions' Cup Final against FC Barcelona, on 7 May 1986. Kelly saved four consecutive penalties in the Ford FAI Cup Final for Sligo Rovers versus Shamrock Rovers on November 14, 2010. This was also matched by Jason Ravenhill on 27 March 2011 when playing for BAA Heathrow (Sunday) FC 3rd team against Maidenhead Nomads in the Thames Valley League's League Trophy competition. Ravenhill saved four consecutive penalties and five in total out of a total of ten penalties but his team still lost 5-4. Ed Pearce in goal for the Maidenhead Nomads saved 4 Penalties during this shoot out, however they were not consecutive!

The quickest goal scored by a goalkeeper is Nottingham Forest's Paul Smith after 15 seconds, on 18 September 2007, when Leicester City agreed to give Forest a free goal in the Football League Cup second round after the original tie was abandoned when City's Clive Clarke collapsed at half time when Forest were up 1–0. Forest ended up losing the game 3–2.

A few goalkeepers have become notable at taking set pieces; for example, José Luis Chilavert is the only goalkeeper to score a hat trick (three goals in a game), doing so through penalty kicks. He also was a free kick-expert. Rogério Ceni has scored the highest number of goals for a goalkeeper, having scored his 100th goal in official games on March 27, 2011. Ceni scored his goals through free kicks and penalty kicks.

Highest fees

The most expensive goalkeeper of all time is currently Gianluigi Buffon (following his €52.29 million transfer to Juventus from Parma), followed by David de Gea (An estimated fee of €21 million from Atlético Madrid to Manchester United F.C. in 2011).

!Rank	Player	From	To	!Transfer Fee(Million	!Transfer Fee([[Million	!Year	!Inflation adjusted fee([[Million
1	[[Gianluigi Buffon	Parma	Juventus	£33m	€54.2m		£
2	David de Gea	Atletico de Madrid	Manchester United	£17.6m	€21m		£
3	Manuel Neuer	Schalke 04	Bayern Munchen	£15m	€18m		£
4	Angelo Peruzzi	Internazionale	Lazio	£15.7m	€17.8m		£
5	Fernando Muslera	Lazio	Galatasaray	£9.93m	€11.75m		£
6	Craig Gordon	Hearts		£9m	€10.2m		£
7	Thibaut Courtois	Racing Genk		£7.8m	€8.8m		£
8	Fabien Barthez	AS Monaco	Manchester United	£7.8m	€8.8m		£
9	Roberto Jiménez Gago	Benfica	Real Zaragoza	£7.6m	€8.6m		£

Notable goalkeepers

IFFHS's Century elections

The following are the top 20 goalkeepers on the IFFHS poll for The World's Best Goalkeeper of the 20th Century.

# Lev Yashin # Gordon Banks # Dino Zoff # Sepp Maier # Ricardo Zamora # José Luis Chilavert # Peter Schmeichel # Peter Shilton # František Plánička # Amadeo Carrizo # Gilmar dos Santos Neves # Ladislao Mazurkiewicz # Pat Jennings # Ubaldo Fillol # Antonio Carbajal # Jean-Marie Pfaff # Rinat Dasaev # Gyula Grosics # Thomas Ravelli # Walter Zenga

IFFHS's World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year

The following is a list of goalkeepers selected by the IFFHS every year since 1986 as The World's Best Goalkeeper.

{| |- style="vertical-align: top;" | 1987 – Jean-Marie Pfaff 1988 – Rinat Dasaev 1989 – Walter Zenga 1990 – Walter Zenga 1991 – Walter Zenga 1992 – Peter Schmeichel 1993 – Peter Schmeichel 1994 – Michel Preud'homme 1995 – José Luis Chilavert 1996 – Andreas Köpke | 1997 – José Luis Chilavert 1998 – José Luis Chilavert 1999 – Oliver Kahn 2000 – Fabien Barthez 2001 – Oliver Kahn 2002 – Oliver Kahn 2003 – Gianluigi Buffon 2004 – Gianluigi Buffon 2005 – Petr Čech 2006 – Gianluigi Buffon | 2007 – Gianluigi Buffon 2008 – Iker Casillas 2009 – Iker Casillas 2010 – Iker Casillas 2011 - Petr Čech | |}

See also

List of goalscoring goalkeepers

FIFA World Cup awards#Golden Glove

FIFA World Cup awards#All-Star Team

References

External links

Goalkeepers Are Different "Everything you've ever wanted to know about goalkeepers"

Goalkeeping tips with clips at jbgoalkeeping.com

Polski portal bramkarski / Polish goalkeeper community

Positions guide: Goalkeeper at BBC

Goalkeeper fitness and training tips at keeper-skool.com

The Museum of Goalkeeping

Category:Association football positions Category:Association football terminology

ar:حارس مرمى (كرة قدم) an:Portero (fútbol) bn:গোলরক্ষক br:Diwaller-pal (mell-droad) ca:Porter (futbol) cs:Fotbalový brankář da:Fodboldpositioner#Målmand de:Torwart#Torwarte im Fußball et:Väravavaht (jalgpall) el:Τερματοφύλακας es:Guardameta (fútbol) eu:Atezain (futbola) fa:دروازه‌بان (فوتبال) fr:Gardien de but (football) hr:Nogometni vratar it:Portiere (calcio) ka:მეკარე (ფეხბურთი) lv:Vārtsargs (futbols) mt:Gowlkiper (futbol) mr:गोलरक्षक (फुटबॉल) ms:Penjaga gol (bola sepak) nl:Doelman (voetbal) ja:ゴールキーパー (サッカー) pt:Goleiro ro:Portar (fotbal) ru:Вратарь (футбол) sr:Голман у фудбалу sh:Fudbalski golman fi:Maalivahti (jalkapallo) sv:Fotbollsmålvakt tr:Kaleci (futbol) uk:Воротар (футбол) vi:Thủ môn (bóng đá) vls:Keeper

name	Lassi Hurskainen
fullname	Lassi Elias Hurskainen
birth date	April 08, 1987
birth place	Joensuu, Finland
height
position	Goalkeeper
currentclub	SC Riverball
clubnumber	12
youthyears1	1995-2000 |youthclubs1 Joensuu Ratanat
youthyears2	2001-2002 |youthclubs2 Joensuun Pallo
youthyears3	2003-2005 |youthclubs3 Jippo Juniors
years1	2006 |clubs1 Riverball |caps1 24 |goals1 0
years2	2007 |clubs2 Jippo |caps2 19 |goals2 0
years3	2008-Present |clubs3 SC Riverball |caps3 38 |goals3 1
years4	2008-Present |clubs4 UNC Asheville |caps4 55 |goals4 0 }}

Lassi Elias Hurskainen (born 8 April 1987) is a Finnish footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for UNC Asheville Bulldogs Soccer.

Personal life

Hurskainen grew up in Joensuu, Finland and attended the Joensuun Lyseon Lukio (High School). In 2007, Hurskainen served in the Finnish Defense Forces.

Honours and awards

Individual

2008 - UNC Asheville Big South All Freshman Team 2008 - Elon University Invitational All Tournament Team in the Elon Classic 2009 - Hyatt Place Select Invitational All Tournament Team 2009 - UNC Asheville Big South Player of the Week 2010 - Finnish Football Association Eastern District's ''"Football Act of the Year"'' for goal with SC Riverball 2010 - Received most Honors for SC Riverball in nationwide Second Division 2010 - Hyatt Place Select Invitiational All Tournament Team 2010 - UNC Asheville Big South Second Team All Conference

Notes

References

External links

SC Riverball Official Club Site

Lassi Hurskainen at UNC Asheville Bulldogs Player Profile

Lassi Hurskainen at YouTube: , part 2:

Category:Association football goalkeepers Category:Association football goalkeepers who have scored Category:1987 births Category:Living people

playername	David Bingham
fullname	David Thomas Bingham
dateofbirth	September 03, 1970
cityofbirth	Dunfermline
countryofbirth	Scotland
currentclub	Tynecastle (player-coach)
position	Forward
years1	1991–1992
years2	1992–1995
years3	1995–1998
years4	1998–2003
years5	2003–2004
years6	2004–2008
years7	2007
years8	2008
clubs1	St. Johnstone
clubs2	Forfar Athletic
clubs3	Dunfermline Athletic
clubs4	Livingston
clubs5	Inverness CT
clubs6	Gretna
clubs7	→ Queen of the South (loan)
clubs8	Cowdenbeath
caps1	17
caps2	99
caps3	33
caps4	148
caps5	31
caps6	54
caps7	4
caps8	6
goals1	3
goals2	44
goals3	9
goals4	50
goals5	13
goals6	30
goals7	0
goals8	0
pcupdate	01:14, 18 June 2008 (UTC) }}

David Thomas Bingham (born 3 September 1970 in Dunfermline) is a Scottish footballer who is currently a player-coach with East of Scotland side Tynecastle.

Career

Youth Career

David played for U12s Oakley Utd B.C.(Fife), U13-14 Salveson B.C.(Edinburgh), U15-16 Crossford B.C (Fife) and U18-21 Inverkeithing B.C (Fife).

Playing

Bingham began his career at St Johnstone in 1991 before moving to Scottish Second Division side Forfar Athletic in 1992. He played in just under 100 matches for the club, helping the side to win the first Scottish Third Division in 1995. His performances attracted the attention of Dunfermline Athletic and he was soon signed by then manager Bert Paton for £100,000. After 3 years with the Pars, Bingham moved to up-and-coming side Livingston in 1998. He scored 50 goals in 148 first team appearances for the Livi Lions, enjoying a great 2001-02 season, when he scored a hatful of goals. In 2003 he moved to Inverness Caledonian Thistle where he won the First Division Championship in his first season. Instead of staying in the Scottish Premier League with Caley Thistle, he decided to drop down to the Scottish Third Division, with Gretna, scoring a whopping 30 goals in 54 league games helping his side to race up the divisions in consecutive seasons. Bingham then joined Queen of the South on a six month loan deal in the July 2007 and returned to Gretna in December 2007, before being loaned out to Cowdenbeath in January 2008. Due to Gretna's financial difficulties towards the end of the 2007-08 season, Bingham was released from his contract along with all other staff members at the club. he hasn't given up hope of getting his "dream move" to ayr united

Coaching

Bingham unsuccessfully applied to be manager with Berwick Rangers and Forfar Athletic in 2008 and became coach of Scottish First Division side Dunfermline Athletic U 14's. In August 2008, He became player-coach at East of Scotland League First Division side Tynecastle F.C..

References

External links

Category:Living people Category:1970 births Category:People from Dunfermline Category:Scottish footballers Category:St. Johnstone F.C. players Category:Forfar Athletic F.C. players Category:Dunfermline Athletic F.C. players Category:Livingston F.C. players Category:Stirling Albion F.C. players Category:Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C. players Category:Gretna F.C. players Category:Scottish Premier League players Category:Scottish Football League players Category:Tynecastle F.C. players

name	Artem Gomelko
fullname	Artem Viktorovich Gomelko
birth date	December 08, 1989
birth place	Zhodino, Belarus SSR, Soviet Union
height
currentclub	Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino
position	Goalkeeper
years1	2004–2007
years2	2008–
years3	2008–
years4	2010
years5	2011–
clubs1	Torpedo Zhodino
clubs2	Lokomotiv Moscow (reserves)
clubs3	Lokomotiv Moscow
clubs4	→ Naftan Novopolotsk (loan)
clubs5	→ Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino (loan)
caps1	2
caps2	60
caps3	1
caps4	22
goals1	0
goals2	0
goals3	0
goals4	0
nationalyears1	2007–2011
nationalteam1	Belarus U21
nationalcaps1	11
nationalgoals1	0
pcupdate	15 May 2010
ntupdate	}}

Artem Viktorovich Gomelko (Belarusian: Арцём Гамелько (Artsyom Hamelko); ; December 8, 1989) is a Belarusian professional footballer currently playing for FC Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino on loan from Lokomotiv Moscow. Gomelko was part of the Belarus U21 team that participated in the UEFA U-21 Championship 2009 and UEFA U-21 Championship 2011, but did not play in any matches, as Pavel Chasnowski and Alyaksandr Hutar respectively were selected as the starting goalkeepers. Gomelko received his first call-up to the senior team of his country in March 2011 for a Euro 2012 qualifier against Albania and a friendly match versus Canada, but did not make an appearance in these games.

He made his Russian Premier League debut for FC Lokomotiv Moscow on 22 June 2011 in a game against PFC CSKA Moscow.

References

Category:1989 births Category:Living people Category:Belarusian footballers Category:Belarusian expatriate footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in Russia Category:Association football goalkeepers Category:Russian Premier League players Category:FC Lokomotiv Moscow players

es:Artem Gomelko pl:Arciom Hamiełko pt:Artem Gomelko ru:Гомелько, Артём Викторович

playername	Guillermo Ochoa
fullname	Francisco Guillermo Ochoa Magaña
dateofbirth	July 13, 1985
cityofbirth	Guadalajara
countryofbirth	Mexico
height
position	Goalkeeper
currentclub	Ajaccio
clubnumber	1
years1	2004–2011
clubs1	América
caps1	211
goals1	0
years2	2011–
clubs2	Ajaccio
caps2	4
goals2	0
nationalyears1	2004–2008
nationalyears2	2005–
nationalteam1	Mexico U-23
nationalteam2	Mexico
nationalcaps1	6
nationalcaps2	46
nationalgoals1	0
nationalgoals2	0
pcupdate	22:56, 23 May 2011 (UTC)
ntupdate	10 August 2011 }}

Francisco Guillermo Ochoa Magaña (born 13 July 1985) is a Mexican goalkeeper who currently plays for French Ligue 1 club Ajaccio. He also plays for the Mexican national football team.

Club career

América

Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Ochoa made his debut with Club América during the 2004 Clausura tournament against C.F. Monterrey. 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 Rios after he recovered from his aforementioned injury.

When the 2004 Apertura season began, Ochoa was thought to be the heir apparent to Ríos, who had retired. However, new 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. Since then, he has started every game for Club América barring incidents involving injuries or national team duty. Under Carrillo, Ochoa won his first championship with América following the 2005 Clausura season.

Ochoa would start 2008 in great form, helping América win the InterLiga tournament with excellent performances, most notably in the group match against Monarcas Morelia, were he saved a late penalty kick, and América's 1-0 lead.

Guillermo Ochoa's last season with América was the 2011 Clausura, which ended with a quarter-final defeat to Monarcas Morelia.

AC Ajaccio

On 4 July 2011 Ochoa signed a three year contract with a one year option. With the recently-promoted AC Ajaccio. Ochoa played his first 2 friendlies in Ajaccio against Bordeaux losing 2-1 and against Real Sociedad losing 4-0. He made his club debut against Toulouse FC losing 2-0.

International career

At the age of 20 Guillermo Ochoa was called up by Mexico's former manager Ricardo Lavolpe for the 2006 FIFA World Cup as the third-choice goalkeeper. Newly appointed manager Hugo Sánchez called Ochoa into the national side as a deputy to Mexico's then-number one, Oswaldo Sánchez. In addition to the World Cup, Ochoa has participated in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 2007 Copa América. He made his 2010 World Cup qualification debut on 28 March 2009 against Costa Rica. Ochoa made the final 23-man cut for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but was the back-up goalie behind Oscar Perez.

During the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Ochoa, and four other members of the Mexican National Team, tested positive for the banned substance of Clenbuterol and were withdrawn from the team's tournament squad. All players were later acquitted by Mexican Football Federation and the results blamed on contamination of food with the ingestion of clenbuterol considered non-intentional. However, World Anti-Doping Agency appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to request a ban.

International appearances

Phoenix, Arizona February 28, 2007 March 25, 2007 March 28, 2007 June 2, 2007 June 8, 2007 June 27, 2007 July 4, 2007 July 14, 2007 August 22, 2007 September 9, 2007 September 12, 2007 October 14, 2007 October 17, 2007 February 6, 2008 September 24, 2008 November 12, 2008 January 28, 2009 March 11, 2009 March 28, 2009 April 1, 2009 June 24, 2009 July 5, 2009 July 9, 2009 July 12, 2009 July 19, 2009 July 23, 2009 align="center" July 26, 2009 August 12, 2009 September 5, 2009 September 9, 2009 October 10, 2009 October 14, 2009 March 17, 2010 May 13, 2010 May 16, 2010 May 26, 2010 August 11, 2010 September 4, 2010 September 7, 2010 September 7, 2010 March 29, 2011 May 28, 2011 June 1, 2011 June 5, 2011 August 10, 2011

Ochoa – appearances for Mexico
# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! GA !! Result !! Competition
align="center"	1.	December 14, 2005	Phoenix, United States ||		0	2–0	Exhibition game>Friendly
align="center"	2.	|	San Diego, United States		1	3–1	Friendly
align="center"	3.	|	San Nicolás, Mexico		1	2–1	Friendly
align="center"	4.	|	Oakland, California>Oakland, United States		2	4–2	Friendly
align="center"	5.	|	San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí>San Luis Potosí, Mexico		0	4–0	Friendly
align="center"	6.	|	East Rutherford, New Jersey>East Rutherford, United States		1	2–1	2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
align="center"	7.	|	Puerto Ordaz and San Felix>Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela		0	2–0	2007 Copa América
align="center"	8.	|	Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela		0	0–0	2007 Copa América
align="center"	9.	|	Caracas, Venezuela		1	3–1	2007 Copa América
10.	|	Commerce City, Colorado>Commerce City, United States		1	0–1	Friendly
11.	|	Puebla (city)>Puebla, Mexico		0	1–0	Friendly
12.	|	Foxborough, Massachusetts>Foxborough, United States		3	1–3	Friendly
13.	|	Ciudad Juárez, Mexico		2	2–2	Friendly
14.	|	Los Angeles, United States		3	2–3	Friendly
15.	|	Houston, United States		2	2–2	Friendly
16.	|	Los Angeles, United States		1	0–1	Friendly
17.	|	Phoenix, United States		1	2–1	Friendly
18.	|	Oakland, United States		1	0–1	Friendly
19.	|	Commerce City, United States		1	5–1	Friendly
20.	|	Mexico City, Mexico		0	2–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)>2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
21.	|	San Pedro Sula, Honduras		3	1–3	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
22.	|	Atlanta, United States		0	4–0	Friendly
23.	|	Oakland, United States		0	2–0	2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup
24.	|	Houston, United States		1	1–1	2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup
25.	|	Glendale, Arizona>Glendale, United States		0	2–0	2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup
26.	|	Arlington, Texas>Arlington, United States		0	4–0	2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup
27.	|	Chicago, United States		1	5–4 (Penalty shootout (association football)	p.s.o.)|>2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup
28.	|	East Rutherford, United States		0	5–0	2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup
29.	|	Mexico City, Mexico		1	2–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
30.	|	San José, Costa Rica>San José, Costa Rica		0	0–3	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
31.	|	Mexico City, Mexico		0	1–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
32.	|	Mexico City, Mexico		1	4–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
33.	|	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago>Trinidad & Tobago		2	2–2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
34.	|	Torreón, Mexico		1	2–1	Friendly
35.	|	Houston, United States		0	1–0	Friendly
36.	|	Mexico City, Mexico		0	1–0	Friendly
37.	|	Freiburg im Breisgau>Freiburg, Germany		2	1–2	Friendly
38.	|	Mexico City, Mexico		0	1–1	Friendly
39.	|	Zapopan, Jalisco>Zapopan, Mexico		2	1–2	Friendly
40.	|	San Nicolás de los Garzas>San Nicolás, Mexico		0	1–0	Friendly
40.	|	Ciudad Juárez, Mexico		2	2–2	Friendly
42.	|	San Diego, United States		1	1–1	Friendly
43.	|	Seattle, United States		1	1–1	Friendly
44.	|	Denver, United States		0	3–0	Friendly
45.	|	Arlington, United States		0	5–0	2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
46.	|	Philadelphia, United States		1	1–1	Friendly

Personal life

In 2006 Ochoa dated Mexican actress, singer, and songwriter Dulce Maria. The pair split a year later. He was featured on the North American cover of FIFA 08 and FIFA 09.

Honours

Club

;Club América

Primera División de México (1): Clausura 2005

Campeón de Campeones (1): 2005

CONCACAF Champions Cup (1): 2006

InterLiga (1): 2008

International

;Mexico

CONCACAF Gold Cup (1): 2009

Individual

CONCACAF Gold Cup Team of the Torunament: 2009

IFFHS: 2000–2010 Best Mexican Goalkeeper

References

External links

Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:People from Guadalajara Category:Mexican footballers Category:Mexico international footballers Category:Mexican people of Basque descent Category:Association football goalkeepers Category:Mexican expatriate footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in France Category:Mexican expatriates in France Category:Ligue 1 players Category:Club América footballers Category:Primera División de México players Category:CONCACAF Gold Cup-winning players Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Category:2007 Copa América players Category:2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players Category:2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Category:Olympic footballers of Mexico Category:Footballers at the 2004 Summer Olympics

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