Jared Borgetti

2.1. Early career in Mexico

Borgetti began his professional career with Atlas in the Mexican Primera División on March 6, 1994, making his debut in a 3-1 loss against Club América. After two successful seasons with Atlas, where he recorded 61 appearances and 21 goals, he transferred to Santos Laguna. His time at Santos Laguna, from 1996 to 2004, was highly successful; he scored 205 goals in 295 appearances, becoming the club's all-time top scorer. During this period, he claimed three golden boot titles for most goals in the season and won two league championships with the club, in the Invierno 1996 and Verano 2001 tournaments. Following his impactful tenure at Santos, Borgetti signed a one-year contract with the promoted team Dorados de Sinaloa in 2004, where he made 14 appearances and scored 8 goals, expressing a desire to play for his home team. He then joined Pachuca in 2005, making 15 appearances and scoring 8 goals, though his activity there was limited due to his participation in FIFA World Cup qualifying games.

2.2. European and Middle Eastern stints

On August 4, 2005, Borgetti made a historic move to the English club Bolton Wanderers, signing a two-year deal for a fee of around 1.00 M GBP. This transfer marked him as the first Mexican player to play for an English club. He made his official English debut twenty days later in a 2-0 Premier League victory over Newcastle United. Borgetti scored his first goal for Bolton on September 15 in a UEFA Cup tie against Lokomotiv Plovdiv, and again in the same competition against Besiktas on October 20. He also found the net in the FA Cup against Watford and in the League Cup against West Ham and Leicester City. With two league goals against Manchester City and Charlton Athletic, Borgetti concluded the 2005-06 season with a total of seven goals across all competitions.

After the 2005-06 season, Bolton Wanderers released Borgetti. He subsequently signed with the Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad. He debuted for Al-Ittihad on September 9, 2006, scoring two goals in a 3-2 victory over Saudi team Al-Ta'ee. He left Al-Ittihad in December 2006, with clubs from the French, English, and Spanish leagues reportedly expressing interest in signing him.

2.3. Return to Mexico and later career

In mid-December 2006, Borgetti returned to Mexico, joining Cruz Azul under a one-year contract. During his time there in 2007, he wore jersey number 58 and was called up by Hugo Sánchez to represent Mexico in international friendly matches and tournaments. On December 21, 2007, Borgetti officially signed with Monterrey for six months to play in the Mexico Clausura 2008 tournament. He scored his first goal for the Rayados in the Clásico Regiomontano against Tigres UANL, though Monterrey lost 3-2.

Beginning January 14, 2009, Borgetti played for Guadalajara for six months, specifically brought in to participate in the 2009 Copa Libertadores. He stated that playing for a team composed entirely of Mexican-born players, and one with the most championships in the Primera División, fulfilled a dream. He played seven games in the Torneo Clausura 2009 (one as a starter, six as a substitute) and six games in the Copa Libertadores (three as a starter, three as a substitute). Following a disappointing season, Borgetti was released along with other newly recruited teammates.

On June 13, 2009, Borgetti signed with Puebla for the Apertura 2009 Tournament. A pre-season injury involving a broken ribcage sidelined him for the first four weeks of the tournament. He scored his first goal for Puebla on August 9, 2009, against Querétaro. He followed this with a headed goal on August 22, 2009, in a 2-1 win against Pachuca. At the end of the season, Borgetti left Puebla to pursue another team, deciding to return to his family and friends in Mexico.

On December 27, 2009, he signed a one-year contract with Monarcas Morelia. On February 13, 2010, he scored his first goal for Monarcas Morelia, which was his 249th goal in Mexican league football, tying him with José Saturnino Cardozo for 3rd place among all-time top goal scorers in the Mexican league. On April 24, 2010, he scored his 250th goal, securing sole possession of the 3rd position in the Mexican League's all-time top goal scorers list, surpassing José Cardozo.

After his departure from Morelia, Borgetti considered retirement but ultimately reached an agreement with Club León, playing for the team in Mexico's Liga de Ascenso in the fall of 2010. After León failed to qualify for the play-offs, he was released from his contract.

3.1. Major tournaments

Borgetti made his debut for the Mexico national team on February 5, 1997, against Ecuador, scoring his first international goal in that match. However, he did not establish himself as a regular until the qualification campaign for the 2002 FIFA World Cup began in late 2000. During the qualification, he notably scored a hat-trick against Trinidad and Tobago and added three more goals, contributing significantly to Mexico's successful qualification.

Following the qualification, Borgetti became a regular starter, scoring goals for his country in the 2001 Copa América, where Mexico finished as runner-up. He also made an impact in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, scoring a crucial headed goal against Italy which helped Mexico secure a 1-1 draw and advance to the Round of 16. He continued his scoring form in the 2004 Copa América.

His most successful international tournament was the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup. He scored three goals during the tournament, two against Germany and one against Brazil, helping Mexico achieve a fourth-place finish. Notably, in the match against Brazil, he had to retake a penalty kick twice due to various infractions; it was blocked on the third attempt, but he later scored the winning goal in a 1-0 upset victory. Borgetti was also the top scorer in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification with 14 goals.

Borgetti participated in the 2006 FIFA World Cup but suffered an injury in the group stage opener. Despite the injury, he returned for the Round of 16 match against Argentina, where his physical presence and powerful shots repeatedly threatened the Argentine goal.

In 2007, Borgetti continued to contribute to the national team. On March 25, he came off the bench against Paraguay and scored two goals within three minutes. He also scored two goals in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup on June 8, and another goal in the quarter-finals against Costa Rica. In the final against the United States, Borgetti sustained an injury that prevented his participation in the 2007 Copa América. Despite his absence, the Mexico national team secured third place in the competition by defeating Uruguay.

Borgetti holds the record as Mexico's second all-time leading goal scorer, having scored 47 goals in 89 appearances for the national team between 1997 and 2008.

7.1. Club statistics

7.2. International statistics