Andres Guardado: Biography

Andres Guardado is a Mexican international footballer. A left winger, that has played as an attacking left back, who currently plays for La Liga side Deportivo la Coruna, he has gone to four major tournaments with his country.

Beginnings

Jose Andres Guardado Hernandez was born on 28 September 1986 in Guadalajara, Mexico. Developing an interest in football at an early age, he joined hometown side Club Atlas’s academy aged just seven and over the next twelve years came through the ranks.

Career

Guardado made his Club Atlas debut in August 2005 in a victory over Pachuca. Just four months later he was called up to the Mexican national team and earned his first cap against Hungary. He went to the 2006 FIFA World Cup with his country and started the last16 match with Argentina, which was memorably won in extra time by Maxi Rodriguez’s stunning volley. Cementing himself as a regular starter under new national coach Hugo Sanchez and an impressive domestic league season in Mexico during 2006-07 saw Guardado linked with Europe’s biggest clubs, including Real Madrid, Manchester United, Benfica and Arsenal. He chose a move to Spain, with Deportivo paying an initial fee of €5.25 million, rising to €7 million. In the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Andres was part of the Mexico side that got all the way to the final before losing to the United States. He scored the first goal of that last match, but had to make do with a runners-up medal. Immediately after that Mexico was involved in the Copa America in which they finished third. Guardado got a goal against Uruguay in the play-off match. Notching ten assists in the 2008-09 season again started speculation that he would move to a bigger club. Andres has been unable to aid Deportivo in getting back to the heights they reached in 2000 when the club won the La Liga title thanks to the goals of Dutch striker Roy Makaay. At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Guardado provided an assist for Rafael Marquez to equalize in the opening match against the tournament hosts. To date he has amassed sixty-three caps for Mexico, scoring nine goals. Recent injuries have limited Andres' appearances for Deportivo. At twenty-four years of age he still has a bright future ahead of him and is very much a part of a generating of young attacking Mexican talent along with Pablo Barrera, Giovanni dos Santos, Carlos Vela and Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez.

Achievements

Guardado has yet to win a trophy at club or international level, but was honored as Deportivo’s player of the season in back-to-back campaigns in 2007 and 2008.