Javier Aguirre Reveals Why He Gave Memo Ochoa Minutes at the 2026 World Cup

When Guillermo Ochoa entered Mexico’s match against Czechia at the 2026 World Cup, the score was already 3-0. Javier Aguirre now says the moment was not a gift. “The planets aligned,” Aguirre said, but he insisted that Ochoa had earned the opportunity.

Speaking at the Mexico Siglo XXI event at the National Auditorium, Aguirre recalled the conversation he had with Ochoa before and during the tournament. He said he made clear that the goalkeeper would not play if he was not in good condition, even if leaving him out made Aguirre look like “the villain of the movie.” The national team, he said, came before Ochoa, Rafael Márquez or Aguirre himself.

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The planets aligned.

“I don’t give anything away, and they both know it,” Aguirre said, referring to Márquez and Ochoa. “I’m a very direct person, and sometimes I go too far.” He said Ochoa understood the situation and accepted that Mexico’s needs would decide whether he played.

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I don’t give anything away, and they both know it. I’m a very direct person, and sometimes I go too far. With Memo, we discussed the situation clearly, and he knew that if he was not in good condition, he would not play. I knew I would have been the villain of the movie, but I also know that before Memo, Rafa and Javier comes the Mexico national team.

What changed Aguirre’s mind was Ochoa’s work at the team’s training camp. The former América goalkeeper arrived first at the gym, helped in every way and trained with an intensity Aguirre said he had never seen from him before. Ochoa was also competing fairly with younger players, despite taking part in his sixth World Cup.

“Memo deserved to play, he earned it,” Aguirre said. “He trained like I had never seen him train before, intensely. He was the first to arrive at the gym, helping with everything, and he looked as if it were his first World Cup. I simply could not overlook that.”

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Memo deserved to play, he earned it. He trained like I had never seen him train before, intensely. He was the first to arrive at the gym, helping with everything, and he looked as if it were his first World Cup. I simply could not overlook that. He competed fairly with players younger than him.