It looks like the club career of Guillermo Ochoa will stay planted firmly on the bench of La Liga club Malaga after president of French club F.C. Bordeaux ended any speculation that the Mexican might join the club earlier this week. This is just the latest unfortunate event in what’s been a miserable club move for the Mexican goalkeeper.

Club history

In 2011 Ochoa made a shocking move when he left Mexican side Club America to join newly promoted Ligue 1 side AC Ajaccio of France. The fact he left Club America wasn’t the shock, what made the headlines was the fact that he was leaving to play at such a modest club. He showed what he was willing to go through to prove himself in Europe. Prove himself he did, and in the three years he spent in France he lead the team against all odds and avoided relegation two years in a row. Both times, Ochoa was granted with the honors of being named keeper of the year in Ligue 1.

International excellence

The summer of 2014 Ochoa saw beat out Jesus Corona for the starting spot between the pipes for Mexico at the World Cup. Many pundits in Mexico and in the States were questioning the decision of Mexican coach Miguel Herrera, but Ochoa put those questions to rest in the second match against host nation Brazil. A multitude of highlight reel saves kept Brazil at bay, and Ochoa was the main reason Mexico were able to leave the match with points shared. Ochoa’s impressive performance lead to him being named Man of the Match, and he was equally spectacular in the Round of 16 match against the Netherlands. His performance in that match was fantastic enough that even in defeat and the elimination of Mexico, Ochoa was named Man of the Match again for a second time in four matches.

Malaga seemed the next big step

After the World Cup, Ochoa made the move to Malaga in that was seen as a good step up from Ajaccio. Yet since the move, Ochoa was twice beaten out by Carlos Kemeni for the starting spot, and in the year and a half Ochoa has been in Spain he's rarely left the bench. He has yet to make his La Liga debut for the club, and his only apearances have been in Copa Del Rey matches, where he's played seven times.  

At 30 years of age Ochoa should be entering the prime of his goalkeeping career. Instead, he’s now gone a year and a half without a consistent string of matches. In that time he played for Mexico at the Gold Cup last summer, but didn’t look at the level he was at the summer before. Since Herrera was let go of his duties as Mexican head coach, Ochoa has yet to play for El Tri. Instead, Ricardo Ferretti and Juan Carlos Osorio have gone with Moses Munoz and Alfredo Talavera in the six games Mexico have played since the Gold Cup.

With a return to France now out of the question, Ochoa only has a little less than two days to find a loan move or a deal out of Malaga to try and salvage the rest of the season. With the Copa America Centenario just a few months away, if Ochoa is unable to get a consistency of minutes and games it’s hard to see Osorio sticking with him during the tournament. On his day he’s the best option for Mexico in goal, but if he’s unable to show what he can offer he might find himself in the same place with Mexico as with Malaga: on the bench.