Guillermo Ochoa, widely considered among the greatest Mexican goalkeepers in history, has announced his retirement from professional football, bringing an end to a distinguished 22-year professional career.

Ochoa, who turned 41 last week, had previously stated that the 2026 FIFA World Cup would be his last tournament although speculation had swirled about whether he might sign with a new club to extend his playing days.

He put those rumours to rest on Tuesday.

“I gave it my all; I left everything on the field for my clubs and the national team, and today I hang up my gloves,” Ochoa posted on social media. “Being a goalkeeper means knowing you might wait 90 minutes for a single moment when everything depends on you. And when that moment arrives, you cannot hesitate.”

Ochoa was on Mexico’s roster for six World Cups – a number shared only by icons Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He served as Mexico’s starting goalkeeper in three of them: Brazil 2014, Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022.

Ochoa made his top-flight debut with Mexico City’s Club America in February 2004. He spent his first seven seasons there before transferring to French club Ajaccio in 2011, becoming the first Mexico-born goalkeeper to play in Europe. His European career also included stints with Malaga, Granada, Standard Liege, Salernitana, AVS Futebol and AEL Limassol, punctuated by a three-year return to Club America from 2019 to 2022.

“I never imagined how far a dream could take me. Today, I can only look back with pride and say: Thank you,” Ochoa wrote. “I take with me the affection of millions and the peace of mind that comes with knowing I gave everything for Mexico.”

Although he served primarily as a backup to Raul Rangel in the recent World Cup in North America, manager Javier Aguirre brought Ochoa on for the final 13 minutes against Czechia in Mexico’s last group-stage match. After the final whistle, an emotional Ochoa kissed the goalposts at Azteca Stadium – the venue where his career began – before kneeling to accept an embrace from his teammates. Long after the stands had cleared, Ochoa walked out to the centre circle one last time to take in his final farewell.

At the club level, Ochoa captured a league title with Club America during the 2005 Clausura tournament and won the Belgian Cup with Standard Liege. On the international stage, he led Mexico to six CONCACAF Gold Cup titles and earned a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

After a weekend of entertaining cricket in Colombo, the Lanka Premier League movesd to Dambulla, where another exciting phase of the tournament awaits. The North Central town will host nine matches, including double-headers over the weekend. The competition will then shift to Kandy before returning to Colombo for the business end, with R. Premadasa Stadium staging the playoffs and the final.

There were no clear frontrunners during the SSC leg of the competition, although Galle Gallants strengthened their position by winning both their matches. They remain the only unbeaten side after the opening round. At the other end of the table, Kandy Royals have work to do after losing both their games. Dambulla Sixers, Colombo Kaps and Jaffna Kings have each won one match and lost one.

Among the local players, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Janith Liyanage have been the standout performers with the bat. South Africa’s Reeza Hendricks and Australians Sam Harper and Ben McDermott have also produced impressive knocks. With the ball, Eshan Malinga, Akif Javed and Binura Fernando have led the way with a string of eye-catching performances.

The resurgence of Charith Asalanka augurs well for Sri Lankan cricket. The left-hander, who captained the national T20 side before being removed just ahead of the World Cup and subsequently lost his place in the team, has reminded everyone of the talent that made him one of the country’s brightest prospects.

More broadly, the tournament continues to serve Sri Lankan cricket well. While it provides players with a lucrative earning opportunity, it also prepares them for the demands of international cricket and offers selectors an ideal platform to assess emerging talent. Equally important, it gives out-of-form players the opportunity to rebuild confidence and revive their careers.

Sharing a dressing room with established international stars such as Shaheen Afridi, James Neesham, Gulbadin Naib, Rassie van der Dussen, Mohammad Nawaz, David Wiese and Moeen Ali can only accelerate the development of the younger local players.

The LPL was launched at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and although the tournament has experienced interruptions, largely due to franchise ownership changes, it has continued to make steady progress, attracting several high-profile players and coaches. There are ambitious plans to expand the competition to six teams once greater continuity and stability are assured. The tournament is overseen by SSC stalwart Samantha Dodanwala.

History-making sprinter Yupun Abeykoon announced his retirement from competitive athletics at a hastily arranged press briefing on Tuesday, bringing the curtain down on a remarkable career in which his personal-best performance transcended medals, becoming a landmark achievement that inspired not only Sri Lanka but the entire region.

‎Yupun Abeykoon’s greatest achievement was becoming the first Sri Lankan and the first South Asian to run sub ten seconds in track and field’s marquee discipline.

‎The 31-year-old said that he leaves the sport having fulfilled his dream while citing the absence of a proper system to reward athletes for winning medals as one of the key reasons behind his decision to retire from competitive athletics.

‎At the time of his retirement his 9.96 feat remains the fifth fastest performance in history in the entire Asian region and he is one of only 11 in the entire Asian region to have accomplished the sub ten seconds mark in 100 metres.

‎Ironically, the announcement of his retirement comes just couple of days ahead of the start of the Commonwealth Games.

‎The sprinter’s greatest championship achievement came at the last edition of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where he won the bronze medal in the men’s 100 metres, ending Sri Lanka’s long wait for a sprint medal at a major multi-sport event. He also represented Sri Lanka at the Tokyo Olympic Games, becoming the country’s lone male track athlete and the first South Asian male sprinter to compete in the Olympic 100m in many year.

‎Abeykoon leaves an indelible mark as the first South Asian athlete to break the 10-second barrier in the men’s 100 metres. On 3 July 2022, he stunned the athletics world by clocking 9.96 seconds at the Résisprint International meet in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, rewriting history for Sri Lanka and the entire South Asian region. He also established national records in the 100m (9.96s), 200m (20.37s) and indoor 60m, while setting the Asian 150m record of 15.16 seconds.

‎Having trained in Italy under coach Claudio Licciardello, Abeykoon transformed himself into one of Asia’s fastest men and became a regular competitor on the European circuit, including Diamond League meetings. His success inspired Sri Lankan sprinters and demonstrated that athletes from the region could compete with the world’s elite.

‎During the press conferance held online, Abeykoon thanked his parformer schools, the SLEME the regiment in Sri Lanka Army he represented, Palitha Fernando, the former president of Sri Lanka Athletics and Sri Lanka Cricket among others, his coaching team in Italy and the millions of Sri Lankans who supported him throughout his journey.

‎While expressing pride in his accomplishments, he also indicated that his retirement was not an easy decision and suggested that broader issues, specially lack of professionalism within Sri Lankan athletics had contributed to his choice.

‎Although his competitive career has come to an end, Yupun Abeykoon’s legacy is secure. As the fastest man Sri Lanka has ever produced and the first South Asian to run under 10 seconds, he redefined the limits of sprinting in the region and inspired countless young athletes to dream beyond perceived barriers. His achievements will remain a benchmark in Sri Lankan athletics for generations to come.

by Reemus Fernando