Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa moves to Standard Liege

Jon Arnold

Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa moves to Standard Liege image

After six seasons in Europe's top leagues, Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa is set to sign with Standard Liege in Belgium, the club announced Sunday.

The Mexico goalkeeper spent the last season with Granada, on loan from Malaga, and suffered behind a poor back line. The team won just four La Liga matches and was relegated to the second division.

El Tri's forwards a question 

But the 31-year-old will continue on in a top division after making a move to the Belgian side, though Standard won't participate in European competition in the upcoming season after finishing ninth in 2016-17.

During the Confederations Cup, in which he played four games, the former Ajaccio shot-stopper was rumored to make a return to Ligue 1. But late Friday the focus of transfer rumors switched to his final destination.

"Guillermo has a great international experience, whether at the club level, where he played in the Mexican Championship, then in the French Ligue 1 and the Spanish Liga, or in the national team," Olivier Renard, Standard's sporting director, said in a club statement. "He had an excellent World Cup in 2014. Guillermo is ready for a new challenge and will certainly bring a lot to our group."

The deal will be finalized once Ochoa completes medical tests later this week. He'll become the second Mexican to play for the club after Carlos Hermosillo moved there from Club America in 1990. The Mexico legend scored once in five games with Les Rouches.

Jon Arnold

Jon Arnold Photo

Jon Arnold covered the Mexico national team and Concacaf region in English for Goal until March 2020. His byline also has appeared in the Dallas Morning News, the New York Times Goal blog, FloFC and Pacific Standard. In addition to his written work, he serves as the Concacaf expert on the BBC's World Football Phone-In and has appeared on SiriusXMFC in English and Fox Deportes and Milenio in Spanish. Formerly based in Tijuana and currently living in Texas, Jon covered the 2018 World Cup, the 2015 Copa America, the 2016 Copa America Centenario and the last five Gold Cups.