Yesterday Jesus Arellano, also known as El Cabrito, announced his retirement via Twitter. This comes as no surprise in light of the fact that for the past couple of seasons, he has considered retirement due to injuries which prevent him from first team play.
On top of injuries, his age is playing a big factor in the decision. Arellano is now 38 years old and perhaps it is time to leave on a high note after helping his team earn themselves a ticket to Japan. With Monterrey playing the next FIFA Club World Cup, Jesus Arellano would have loved to be a part of that squad and put an end to his career after that competition, but as he said "It is now time to go."
El Cabrito, as he is known in the soccer world, debuted in 1994 wearing the Rayados de Monterrey jersey. After five successful years playing for his favorite childhood team, he moved on to "bigger" challenges. He then joined Chivas de Guadalajara in 1997, where he played 72 matches and scored a total of 14 goals.
In 2000, he rejoined his hometown team, Rayados de Monterrey, where after 11 years, 299 appearances and 39 goals scored he is deciding to call it quits.
Jesus Arellano was always known for his speed and dribbling skills on the pitch. His home league success lead him to wear El Tri's green shirt where he was capped 69 times, scoring seven goals and playing in the France 1998 World Cup, 2002 Korea/Japan and his final one in Germany 2006. El Cabrito was also part of that successful Mexico squad that won the Confederations Cup in 1999 against Brazil at the Estadio Azteca.
Overall, it was quite a successful career for the Monterrey native. Perhaps the only thing missing in such a fine resume is the European journey which he never took but had chances to. Nonetheless, it was a fine way to say goodbye and all the love he gets from his fans is most certainly deserved.
His involvement with the sport and his beloved franchise will not stop here. Jesus Arellano has stated he would love to coach Monterrey, so perhaps it is not a goodbye but a see-you-later.