Although their historical record is equal… why doesn’t Ochoa wear the badge of legends like Ronaldo and Messi?

Veteran Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa continues to write his name in world football history after becoming part of a rare list of players who have been called up to 6 different editions of the World Cup. However, he does not carry the “Legends” badge, which FIFA awards to players with record participation in the tournament.

Argentina and Portugal captains Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo made their sixth appearance at the tournament (after 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022), where they played in the first and second rounds of the group stage of the current competition.

The two stars appeared with the FIFA badge on their shirts in honor of their record-breaking achievement.

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On the other hand, Ochoa missed the matches against AAU Mexico and South Korea, but… He came on as a substitute against the Czechs in the third round of Group A on Thursday morning.not receiving the same honor.

Despite Ochoa’s presence on Mexico’s national team rosters for every game from Germany 2006 to 2022 World Cups, FIFA does not officially list him as one of the players who participated in the 6 World Cups.

Why doesn’t FIFA recognize Ochoa’s six appearances?

The answer lies in the international federation’s bylaws, which require a player to actually participate in one of the tournament’s matches, even for one minute, to count as an official World Cup appearance, the newspaper pointed out.come on“Spanish.

While Ochoa was on Mexico’s roster for the 2006 World Cup in Germany and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, he did not feature in any matches during that time, meaning that FIFA only counts him as having 4 actual appearances, not six, despite his presence in the tournament’s final six rosters.

This detail has become a point of discussion among followers, as many believe that simply attending six consecutive World Cups is an exceptional achievement, even if a player was absent from the field in one of them.

Statistical controversy aside, Ochoa remains one of the most prominent names in Mexican football history, performing at remarkable levels in several World Cup matches, most notably the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, where he played a significant role in his country’s national team’s brilliance.

Although FIFA records do not yet give him six World Cup appearances, his status as one of the greatest goalkeepers in Mexico’s history seems solid, while the case for full recognition of his exceptional achievements remains open to debate.