Andrés Guardado retires from the Mexico national team: what international soccer records does he hold?

Former Mexico national team captain Andrés Guardado has officially announced his retirement from international soccer via a four-minute video on his Instagram account. In the clip, the Real Betis midfielder is seen reminiscing about some of his most iconic moments with El Tri while in the company of his family at home.

When did Andrés Guardado make his debut for Mexico?

“I’d already said it a while ago but I hadn’t stopped to say thank you for everything that I’ve experienced with Mexico in the last 16 years”, begins the accompanying text.

Guardado made his Tri debut on 14 December 2005 in a 2-0 friendly victory over Hungary and his love affair with the national team blossomed over the coming years. The ‘Little Prince’, as he is affectionately known, competed in his first World Cup in Germany in 2006 at the age of 19, just like a certain Lionel Messi.

Argentina World Cup defeat marks Guardado’s final Mexico appearance

His retirement video includes clips from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and specifically the disappointing defeat to eventual winners Argentina, which proved to be both Guardado’s last World Cup game and his final appearance in a green shirt. However, happier moments also made the cut, such as the victory over Croatia at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and the famous triumph over Germany in Russia four years later.

Guardado’s joint World Cup record

The recent death of Antonio ‘Tota’ Carbajal led to inevitable reminders of his nickname - ‘El Cinco Copas’ (’Five Cups’), in reference to the number of World Cups he played in. Guillermo Ochoa and Guardado have also achieved that feat, with the midfielder also winning more caps for his country than anyone else and sitting sixth on the list of players with most international appearances in the history of soccer.

What other international soccer records did Andrés Guardado set?