Andrés Guardado
Mexican midfield legend and national team record appearance holder.
José Andrés Guardado Hernández (born 28 September 1986) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Popularly known as Principito (Spanish for Little Prince), Guardado came through the youth ranks at Atlas, making his professional debut in 2005 before signing with Spain's Deportivo two years later, where he spent five seasons. In 2012 he joined Valencia, with brief loan stints at Bayer Leverkusen and PSV, before permanently joining the latter club in 2015 and winning two Eredivisie titles and two Johan Cruyff Shield titles. He returned to Spain in 2017 with Real Betis, where he won a Copa del Rey and made 218 appearances before returning to his native Mexico in 2024 to join León. He retired from professional football after the end of the 2024–25 season.
Quick Facts
- Position
- Left-back; Left midfielder
- Primary club
- Tigres UANL
- European club
- Valencia CF (La Liga, Spain)
- National team
- Mexico
- Born
- 1986, Mexico
- Playing style
- Attacking full-back
- high pace
- overlapping runs
Lore & Background
Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, to Andrés Manuel Guardado and Teresa Hernández, Guardado began playing professionally for local side Atlas, joining the team's youth system at the age of seven. He made his league debut on 20 August 2005, in a 3–2 home win against C.F. Pachuca, and on 15 October, scored his first goal against Tigres UANL in a 2–1 away victory. At the end of the tournament, he was voted best rookie. On 19 August 2006, he scored his first professional brace against Club América in a 2–0 home victory. His performances in his second season led him to win back-to-back (Apertura and Clausura) awards for best full-back. In the summer of 2006, press speculation linked him to several Serie A teams as well as Real Madrid, but Deportivo de La Coruña moved quickly and made an offer of €7 million for 75% of his rights. The transfer was finalized on 7 July 2007, making him the most expensive ever Mexican player at the time; Atlas retained a 25% sell-on-fee. Guardado played his final match at the Estadio Jalisco in a friendly against the Argentine champions San Lorenzo de Almagro, featuring 30 minutes. At half-time, he was awarded the club's highest honor, the Athletic Excellence Award.
Reader's Guide
Guardado is a left-footed midfielder who can also play at left-back. He is known for his passing, set-piece delivery, and leadership. At Deportivo, he was voted by fans as the best player multiple times and was named the Segunda División's best attacking midfielder. At PSV, he won Player of the Month for November 2014 and was named player of the year by Dutch magazines Algemeen Dagblad and Voetbal International. He was included in the 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or longlist. At Real Betis, he was named co-captain and became the first Mexican to reach 100 official appearances for three European clubs. He is the most-capped player in the history of the Mexican national team with 180 appearances, and joint tenth on the all-time scorer list with 28 goals.
Did You Know?
- Guardado won two Eredivisie titles and two Johan Cruyff Shield titles with PSV Eindhoven.
- He was voted by fans as the best player of Deportivo in 2008 and again in 2012.
- Guardado made his 100th La Liga appearance on 15 May 2011 in a scoreless draw at FC Barcelona.
More in Club History
Elsewhere in Tigres UANL
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