Ochoa is the most capped goalkeeper in the history of the national side, and currently third on the all-time list with appearances. That summer Ochoa was transferred to Ajaccio in France. In July , he joined Granada on a season-long loan. Three years later, he returned to Europe, this time with Italian club Salernitana. A Mexican international since , Ochoa received his first cap at age 20 in a friendly match against Hungary.
Having been included in the squads for five FIFA World Cups , , , , and , Ochoa has gained international recognition for his consistency and big game performances in the competition over multiple iterations. At the conclusion of his first season, he won the Rookie of the Tournament award. He was fired after only six games into the season and Ochoa was soon reinstated by new coach Mario Carrillo. He won back-to-back Golden Glove awards for the — 07 season.
In October , Ochoa was named in France Football ' s list of candidates for the Ballon d'Or , being one of only three players named to not play in Europe. In the winter of , there was much speculation by various sources in England as to where Ochoa would move to for the —12 season.
English newspaper Metro reported Manchester United were keen on signing Ochoa. On 4 July , Ochoa signed a three-year contract, with an additional one-year option, [ 26 ] with French club Ajaccio , recently promoted to Ligue 1. Ochoa made his official club debut on 5 August against Toulouse , losing 0—2.
On 14 January , he helped Ajaccio with a 2—1 victory over Auxerre , and on 21 January, he played against Valenciennes in a 2—1 victory which put Ajaccio out of the relegation zone since the start of the season. Ajaccio won its sixth game with Ochoa in a 2—1 home win against Dijon. For the last game of the season, Ajaccio needed a win against Toulouse to escape the relegation zone. Ochoa started and played 90 minutes against Toulouse and helped Ajaccio win 2—0 to stay in Ligue 1.
