Twelve things to know about Liverpool’s potential new signing Guillermo Ochoa…
As we reported earlier on today, the Daily Express are claiming that Liverpool have a deal in place to sign Mexico’s World Cup stopper Guillermo Ochoa, with Spanish side Malaga prepared to sell the 29-year-old for £3m.
Here are twelve things to know about Simon Mignolet’s potential replacement:
1) Ochoa began his career with Mexican side Club America, making his first-team debut in 2004 at the age of 18. He forced veteran stopper Adolfo Rios out of the team, and quickly establish himself as the number one.
2) Shortly before Ochoa left America in 2011, he was linked with a number of Premier League clubs – including Manchester United and Fulham – although these rumours proved to be fruitless.
3) Ochoa instead signed a three-year contract with newly promoted French minnows Ajaccio. In his first season he conceded 59 league goals – the joint-worse record of anyone in the division, although he still won plaudits for his performances.
4) Fenerbahce and Sevilla both showed an interest in the stopper ahead of the 2012-13 season, but he stayed put. Ochoa finished the season with an improved record of 12 clean sheets, only adding to his growing reputation.
5) Ajaccio were relegated at the end of the 2013-14 season, despite Ochoa’s heroics in goal. One desperate fan put his house up for sale in an attempt to fund a new contract for the Mexican, but after starring in the World Cup, he decided to leave.
6) Ochoa, part of the Mexican squad since 2005, earned four of his 66 national team caps during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, impressing throughout the competition with his athletic abilities and daring saves. He conceded just one goal in three group games, but was beaten twice late on in the second round, as his side lost out to the Netherlands.
7) Earlier this year, Ochoa joined Malaga in a three-year deal, after a summer of speculation that saw him linked with Arsenal, Liverpool and numerous other European clubs. However, he is still awaiting his first league appearance, with manager Javi Gracia preferring Carlos Kameni in goal.
8) In the early stages of his career, Ochoa developed a reputation for being an excellent signing on both the Football Manager and FIFA game series’s, due to his affordable price and excellent abilities.
9) In 2006 Ochoa dated Dulce Maria, a Mexican actress, singer, and songwriter, but the pair split a little over a year later.
10) He began dating Mexican model Karla Mora after his move to France. In February 2013, the couple gave birth to a girl, who they name Lucciana.
11) Ochoa likes to wear the shirt number 13 when on international duty because his birthday is on the 13th July.
12) Ochoa was one of five Mexico players who tested positive for the banned substance Clenbuterol during the 2011 Gold Cup. Ochoa and his teammates were subsequently banned from the team’s tournament squad. However, they were later acquitted after it was proved they had unintentionally consumed contaminated meat.