Jared Borgetti

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Borgetti began his club career with Atlas in the Primera División de México on 6 March 1994, debuting in a 3–1 loss to América. After two successful seasons, he signed with Santos Laguna, where he claimed three golden boot titles for most goals in the season in his seven-year participation with club. With Santos, he won two league championships. Borgetti later signed a one-year contract with promoted team Dorados de Sinaloa, where he stated he wanted to play in his home team, before joining Pachuca, at the latter where he had little activity due to the qualifying games for the World Cup. On 4 August 2005, Borgetti signed a two-year deal with English club Bolton Wanderers for a fee of around £1 million. He became the first Mexican to play for an English club. He made his official English debut in a 2–0 Premier League win over Newcastle United twenty days after signing, and scored his first goal for the club during Bolton's UEFA Cup tie against Lokomotiv Plovdiv on September 15, scoring again in the competition against Besiktas on 20 October. He went on to score in the FA Cup against Watford and in the League Cup against West Ham and Leicester City. Having also scored two league goals against Manchester City and Charlton Athletic, Borgetti ended the season with seven goals in all competitions. After the 2005–06 season, Borgetti was released by Bolton. He eventually signed with Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad. He made his debut on 9 September 2006, scoring two goals in a 3–2 victory over Saudi team Al-Ta'ee. In December 2006, Borgetti left Al-Ittihad. Teams from the leagues of France, England, and Spain showed interest in signing the player. In mid-December 2006, Santos Laguna showed interest in signing Borgetti and Francisco Fonseca, but days later, Club América signed Vicente Matias Vuoso on loan to Santos. Borgetti and Fonseca turned down the club's offer and later announced that he would return to Mexico as a member of Cruz Azul under a one-year contract. In 2007, Borgetti was called upon by Hugo Sánchez to represent Mexico in a series of international friendly matches and tournaments. His jersey number was 58. On 21 December 2007, it was officially announced that Borgetti would play for Monterrey for the next six months in the Mexico Clausura 2008 tournament. Borgetti scored his first goal with the Rayados in the Clásico Regiomontano against Tigres UANL, whe

In Their Own Story

On August 17, 2005, the narrative of Mexican football history shifted. In a World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica, Borgetti scored his 36th international goal, surpassing Luis Hernández to claim the title of Mexico's all-time leading scorer. This milestone was not an endpoint but a continuation of his dominance; he added to this tally in subsequent competitions like the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup. His final curtain call came on June 22, 2008, during a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Belize. In that match, Borgetti scored twice, capping off his international career with a flourish. He retired from the national team holding the record as its all-time leading scorer, a distinction he maintained for nearly a decade until Javier Hernández surpassed it.

Reader's Guide

On the international stage, Borgetti made his debut with Mexico on 5 February 1997, in a match against Ecuador. His greater impact came during the qualification campaign for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, beginning in late 2000. Following Mexico’s successful qualification, Borgetti became a regular starter. In the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Borgetti scored a header against Italy in a group stage match that ended 1–1. FIFA later highlighted the technical difficulty of the goal, noting how Borgetti redirected the ball past Gianluigi Buffon while closely marked by Paolo Maldini. Borgetti’s most notable tournament performance came at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup, where he scored three goals against Brazil and Germany, contributing to Mexico’s fourth-place finish. In the match against Brazil, he was required to retake a penalty twice due to infractions; the third attempt was blocked, but he later scored the decisive goal in a 1–0 victory. On 17 August 2005, Borgetti scored his 36th international goal in a World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica, surpassing Luis Hernández as Mexico’s all-time leading scorer. He continued to add to his tally in subsequent competitions, including the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he scored multiple goals before an injury prevented him from participating in the 2007 Copa América. Borgetti’s final international appearance came on 22 June 2008, in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Belize, where he scored twice. He retired from the national team as its all-time leading scorer, a record he held until Javier Hernández surpassed it nearly a decade later.

Did You Know?

• Borgetti is of Italian descent through his grandfather, who migrated from Cuneo, Piedmont, to Sinaloa. Because of this, he was able to get an Italian passport, though he has stated that this was solely for the purpose of
• Borgetti scored a header against Italy in the 2002 World Cup that ended 1–1, not a 1–0 victory.
• In the 2005 Confederations Cup, Borgetti scored three goals against Brazil and Germany, not two.
• Borgetti equaled and surpassed Luis Hernández as Mexico's all-time leading scorer on August 17, 2005, when he scored his 36th international goal.