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Mexican midfielder Gerardo Torrado played his final match on Sunday, ending a legendary career that spanned 20 years. He played for more than a decade with Cruz Azul, amassing 325 appearances. He played 146 times for the Mexican national team, trailing only Claudio Suarez for most all-time El Tri appearances.
Gerardo Torrado retired from the game he’s played professionally since 1997 following his final match with Indy Eleven of the NASL, for whom Torrado played the final two seasons of his career. Torrado will now begin a new career as sporting director for the Mexican Football Federation.
“It’s been a fantastic experience,” Torrado told ESPN. “I’m ending a very important stage and when the next one starts I’ll put all my energy, dreams and experience into it so it can be successful.”
Gerardo Torrado vs. Lionel Messi, 2002 World Cup. Photo: @SoyReferee | Twitter
The 38-year-old was a veteran of three World Cups with Mexico, for whom he scored six times, including the winner in a World Cup match against Ecuador in 2002. He also appeared at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. Torrado’s last international goal came in 2009 when he scored the opener in Mexico’s 5-0 thrashing of the United States in the 2009 Gold Cup final.
A midfielder known more for his defensive and passing abilities, Torrado scored 12 goals for Cruz Azul and 16 in his 20-year career.
Torrado also played with UNAM, Tenerife, Poli Ejido, Sevilla and Racing Santander before debuting with Cruz Azul in 2005. El Borrego played 40 times for the Indy Eleven, which, in fact, was not named after the Stranger Things character despite the show taking place in Indiana. He scored two goals in the third division of U.S. soccer; both came in the same game and both were impressive strikes.
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