Monterrey’s Aldo De Nigris calls it quit on a great career

Aldo De Nigris, historic Monterrey footballer, has decided to call it quits as a football player. The Monterrey forward was key in getting various league and CONCACAF titles and had a good stint in the national team, especially in the 2011 Gold Cup. The forward actually started his career with hated rival Tigres, but after bouncing with several clubs, went to the club where his brother Antonio de Nigris had shined.

During his time playing in the club, Antonio sadly passed away while playing in Greece in 2009. The death affected him emotionally but also inspired to give one of the best performances in league play and guide Monterrey, along with Humberto Suazo, to their first league title since 2003. This started a successful time of play that would lead to another league title in 2010, as well as three straight CONCACAF Champions league under coach Victor Manuel Vucetich. In 2012, they would also tie Mexico's best performance in a Club World Cup with a third place finish.

De Nigris’ great performances lead to a big move to Chivas in Guadalajara, where he had some moments but overall failed to meet expectations, although less so than other big signings during that time. He would return to Monterrey, where he gave Monterrey the win in their first official league game played in their new stadium ,Estadio BBVA Bancomer, against Pachuca.

Aldo's career upswing with Monterrey also translated to the National team. After the 2009 title, he got call ups to the National team, but an injury during the middle of the season took him out of contention for a spot in the 2010 World Cup. In 2011, he had by far his best time with the national team when he became the starting striker for Mexico. His play lead him to the 2011 Gold Cup, where he scored four goals and was key in one of the best performances Mexico has ever given in a Gold Cup. While the team had been rocked with an accidental doping scandal, with Aldo's help, Mexico cruised to the title after having their best ever group stage. De Nigris then stepped up and opened the scoring for Mexico during their two most difficult challenges, the Quarterfinal game against Guatemala and the semifinal against Honduras, although he would miss the final because of a coaching decision.

De Nigris became a mainstay of the National Team during the Jose Manuel de la Torre era. In 2013 he scored his final goal with the Mexican National team, a key goal that gave Mexico three points in an away win against Jamaica. He would then play in the 2013 Confederations Cup, his final tournament with the National team. His decrease level of play with clubs during this time meant his time for the National team would come to an end and he was never in contention for a spot in the 2014 World Cup team.

Aldo de Nigris will definitely go down in the history of Monterrey as one of their best forwards ever. His time with the National team will also be memorable for his 2011 Gold Cup, although it had a case of bad timing that led to him not being able to go to a World Cup. Still, De Nigris without a doubt made his mark in Mexican Football and it's a sad day to see his career end.