The player deserves to retire at the team he loves and Atlas fans deserve to see him in the red and black shirt one last time. But while the fate was cruel, ironically the Guadalajara side were closely associated with Andrés Cuartado’s retirement, and could also punish him.
The ‘Little Prince’ announced today that his professional career will end with Leon’s participation in this Apertura 2024. That means the 38-year-old midfielder’s retirement will take effect on Sunday, November 10 at home to Monterrey if ‘La Fiera’ is fired in the regular season.
But what does Atlas have to do with all this?
Not only the club that saw Andres born as a professional, not only the team of footballers’ love who spent 17 years in Europe before returning to Liga MX, but also the rival that built the destiny of the emerald team. Only one can advance to the Mexican soccer play-in.
Leon don’t need Atlas to be eliminated, they can do it alone if they don’t beat the fourth best team in the competition, but as they play on Sunday, hours after the Rojinegros’ fight against Nekaxa, they may already look disqualified. For this competition, that is, the ‘Little Prince’ knew he would live his last ‘dance’ as a professional.
On the other hand, if the ‘Fox’ lose, the Guanajuato team will be one win away from making it to the next round and will extend their captain’s career by at least one game.
Life works in mysterious ways, Guardado could not retire at Atlas as he dreamed, but the club that saw him born as a player in 2005 could complete his retirement if they beat the Hydro-Worm team in Aguascalientes and seal his pass in this way. In Mexican football. After all, Andres’ fate was tied to Rozinegro’s until the end.