From bricks to World Cup record, the story of Mexico's goalkeeper

2026-07-03 08:12:00, Sport CNA

Raul Rangel has emerged as one of the main protagonists of the World Cup. The Mexican goalkeeper is playing a crucial role in the journey of his national team, which has secured qualification for the 1/8 stage and is now preparing for the confrontation with England.

After four matches, Rangel has recorded 348 minutes without conceding a goal. Thanks to his performances, Mexico is one of two national teams that have yet to see the ball end up in their own net, along with Spain.

The Ccivas goalkeeper has started all of Mexico's matches and has only been substituted once. That came in the 78th minute of the 3-0 win over the Czech Republic, when coach Javier Aguirre decided to give veteran Guillermo Occoa some minutes in his sixth World Cup.

The 348-minute clean sheet has allowed Rangel to make history in Mexican football. He has surpassed Calderon's record of 283 minutes without conceding a goal in the 1970 World Cup. He has also surpassed Pablo Larios' record of 276 minutes in 1986.

In addition to the national record, Rangel has also joined a very special group in World Cup history. He became the seventh goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in his first four matches of his career in the competition.

After the 1-0 victory over South Korea, the Mexican goalkeeper stated that the team believes they can achieve great results in this tournament. He stressed that he has grown from match to match and that he has always been ready to intervene when the team needed him.

Beyond his performances on the field, Rangel's personal story has also attracted attention outside of football. Before reaching the highest levels, he worked in various professions to help support his family. He sold candy, washed cars, delivered meat and bread, while one of the most difficult jobs was in brickmaking. His family members have said that he would leave early in the morning and return after long hours of work, often covered in mud.

Today, after a long journey and many sacrifices, Raul Rangel has become one of the most important figures in the Mexican national team.