Mexican midfielder Andres Guardado returns to Mexican football with Club Leonseventeen years after he arrived in Europe from Atlas to play for Deportivo La Coruña in 2007, the starting point of a successful and fruitful journey that this Thursday he put an end to after six and a half seasons at Real Betis.
The Little Prince has already asked Betis to release him until June 30 and the club has agreed to a request from one of its iconic players that will free up a ton of wages and plans to pay him tribute. before his departure to Mexico this Friday for an institutional event in the sports city of Luis del Sol.
Betis fans will also pay tribute to the “Little Prince” in the match the Verdiblancos play next Sunday against Barcelona at the Estadio Benito Villamarin.
The announcement of Andres Guardado’s departure comes after his outstanding performance on the final day against Granada (1-0).
The green and white 18, who captained Betis this season following the departure of Joaquín Sánchez, accepted the León club’s offer to join this winter market after playing twelve games for Pellegrini’s team in the season in which he renewed his contract until the next one. June 30 at the urgent request of the technician.
Betis opted for one-season extensions of two of their heavyweights, Guardado and Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, 40 and 37 years old respectively, both with extensive experience in European football’s elite, albeit with lesser contributions this season. .
The “Little Prince” arrived at Betis almost seven years ago from the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, where he became a legend with 102 games played and with whom he signed after an already extensive career in La Coruña (144 games). , Valencia (70) and Bayer Leverkusen (7).
No one could have predicted that José Andrés Guardado Fernández’s time at Betis would be so fruitful and meaningful until last October against Getafe, when he became the foreign player to wear the green and white shirt most often, ahead of Brazilian Denilson de Oliveira . (207).
He then added 208 and has now reached 218, including a Copa del Rey final victory over Valencia in La Cartuja in 2022, before saying goodbye to the place that has been his home for the past seven seasons and ended his successful career in Europe. football.
The Mexican also managed to enter the select club of five world champions along with such football legends as the German Lottar Matthäus, the Italian Gianluigi Buffon, the Argentinean Lionel Messi, the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo and his compatriots Antonio “Tota” Carbajal, Rafael. Marquez and Guillermo Ochoa.
Last May, Guardado announced his retirement from the Tri after 181 games played, three Gold Cup titles and one Concacaf Cup.
This record is also enriched by the fact that he is the Mexican player who has played the most games in Europe, ahead of Hugo Sánchez, Rafael Márquez, Carlos Vela, Héctor Moreno, Héctor Herrera, Nery Castillo or Javier “Chicharito” Hernández.
(according to information from EFE)
Source: Aristegui Noticias
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