In its 118-year history, Club Deportivo Guadalajara has had many players who have identified themselves fully with the institution, although few have had the privilege of dedicating their entire careers to Chivas.
Today we celebrate the career of one of them, who can boast 17 years in the team of his love and 14 as a player of the First Team: our Jesús 'Chapo' Sánchez says goodbye to the fields and does so as a reference for the members of the Cantera Rojiblanca, fans and his teammates.
Jesús grew up in Caborca, Sonora, where baseball is the king of sports and in fact he played it for a while in his youth as a center fielder. However, his father inherited his passion for soccer, as he always accompanied him to play in the local leagues, and he was determined to fulfill his dream of playing soccer professionally and be part of Chivas.
After participating with the Sonora National Team in a national tournament and attracting the attention of scouts from several Liga MX teams for his soccer skills, destiny took 'Chapo' to Verde Valle, where he underwent several tests and 15 days later he formally joined the Cantera Rojiblanca, where he stood out among his teammates for his determination, confidence, ability with the ball and speed on the flank.
After completing his training process by playing for the Chivas San Rafael, Chivas Rayadas from Liga Premier, the U-20 and the Tapatío, which played in the extinct First Division "A", Jesús was invited by José Luis Real to be part of the preseason work with the First Team, which at that time was preparing to face the 2010 Apertura MX League Tournament and the Libertadores Cup.
Friday, August 6, 2010 was a milestone in the career of 'Chapo', as his name appeared on the list of those called up to travel to San Luis Potosí to face Los Tuneros, which finally happened the following day with the appearance of the player from Sonora, who wore the number 44 on his dorsal to make his debut in the maximum circuit as a starter on the field of the Alfonso Lastras Stadium, in what was the first of 26 matches in his first year defending the Rojiblanca jersey.
Resilience was his permanent banner, since neither injuries nor the different adversities presented by the uncertain world of soccer could bring down a man with an iron mentality, which allowed him to come back stronger and stronger to occupy the place that, always with effort and discipline, he had hard earned.
The individual and group rewards began to come in 2015 with his first trophy with the Rebaño, the Copa MX, and a year later he added the Supercopa MX. But the year that marked the pinnacle of 'Chapo' was 2017, when he was an undisputed starter and a key player for Chivas, which won the Mexican soccer double: the 2017 Clausura and the MX Cup that same semester. The 2018 Concacaf Champions League rounded off a successful era with the team of his love and with him as one of its protagonists.
More than 14 years as a professional, 5 titles, a Club World Cup, 324 official matches and his deep love for Club Deportivo Guadalajara define the professional career of Jesús Sánchez, who earned his place in the honor roll of the Rojiblancos with the most uninterrupted years wearing the Chivas jersey, only behind Isidoro Díaz, Sabás Ponce and Juan Jasso.
Jesús Sánchez's numbers with Club Deportivo Guadalajara
- 324 official matches
- 290 Liga MX matches
- 270 official starts
- 22,926 official minutes
- 5 official titles
- 4 goals
- 6,485 successful passes (since 2012)
- 83.4% of successful passes (since 2012)
Top 10 players with the most consecutive years at Chivas
1.- Juan Jasso - 20 years 7 months
2. Sabás Ponce - 15 years 11 months
3.- Isidoro Díaz - 14 years 4 months
4.- Jesús Sánchez - 14 years 3 months
5.- Gilberto Rodríguez - 13 years 8 months
6.- Salvador Reyes - 13 years 6 months
7.- Jaime Gómez - 13 years 1 month
8.- Héctor Reynoso - 12 years 8 months
9.- Demetrio Madero - 12 years 5 months
10.- Alberto Medina - 11 years 8 months
