Hugo Ayala

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Ayala and the second or maternal family name is Castro.

Hugo Ayala Castro (born 31 March 1987) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.

Hugo Ayala

Ayala with Mexico at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name	Hugo Ayala Castro
Date of birth	(1987-03-31) 31 March 1987 (age 38)
Place of birth	Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	UANL (assistant)
Youth career
2000–2002	Morelia
2002–2006	Atlas
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2006–2008	Académicos[2]	11	(1)
2006–2010	Atlas	82	(3)
2010–2022	Tigres UANL	395	(6)
Total		488	(10)
International career
2006–2007	Mexico U20	12	(0)
2007–2008	Mexico U23	14	(0)
2009–2018	Mexico	47	(1)
Managerial career
2023–2025	UANL (assistant)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Mexico Pan American Games 2007 Rio de Janeiro Team
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ayala spent the majority of his playing career with Tigres UANL, where he holds the record for most appearances.

Club career

Atlas

Hugo Ayala started his professional career with Atlas. He made his official debut in 2006 as a starter against C.D. Guadalajara. Although Atlas lost 3–1 he became an often used substitute ending the season. In the next season he starting showing great talent in defending and became a starter in Atlas's defensive line up, leading Atlas all the way to the quarter-finals to face Club América, but lost to them in an aggregate score of (7–4). Throughout his career with Atlas he was mostly used as a substitute until the manager, Ricardo La Volpe, took his place as manager of Atlas. La Volpe then started having confidence in Ayala, and made Ayala a starter and captain for Atlas.

Tigres UANL

On 2010, he arrived to Tigres UANL and by 2011 he already was the starter centre-back along with Juninho, both key players for the Apertura 2011 championship. Ayala was named best defender of the Apertura 2011 season alongside teammate Jorge Torres Nilo. Ayala, a starter in Tigres since 2011, later would become champion with the team in the Apertura 2015, Apertura 2016, Apertura 2017 and Clausura 2019 seasons besides runner-up of the 2015 Copa Libertadores. He retired in 2023, and became assistant for Tigres' head coach Marco Antonio Ruiz.

International career

In May 2018, Ayala was named in Mexico's preliminary 28-man squad for the World Cup in Russia,^[3] and was ultimately included in the final 23-man roster revealed on 4 June.^[4] He would go on to appear in the opening group stage match against Germany, which Mexico won 1–0, and the round-of-16 loss against Brazil.

Career statistics

As of 12 September 2018^[5]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Mexico	2009	2	0
	2010	1	0
	2012	4	0
	2013	4	0
	2014	3	0
	2015	10	0
	2016	5	0
	2017	9	0
	2018	9	1
Total		47	1

Scores and results list Mexico's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ayala goal.

List of international goals scored by Hugo Ayala^[6]

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	31 January 2018	Alamodome, San Antonio, United States	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1–0	1–0	Friendly

Honours

Atlas

• InterLiga: 2008

Tigres UANL

• Liga MX Apertura: 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017
• Liga MX Clausura: 2019
• Copa MX: Clausura 2014
• Campeón de Campeones: 2016, 2017, 2018
• CONCACAF Champions League: 2020
• Campeones Cup: 2018

Mexico

• Pan American Games Bronze Medal: 2007

Individual

• Mexican Primera División Best Rookie: Clausura 2007
• Mexican Primera División Best Center-back: Apertura 2011
• Liga MX Best Defender: 2017–18
• Liga MX Apertura Best XI: 2015, 2017
• Liga MX Clausura Best XI: 2019
• CONCACAF Best XI: 2018^[7]
• CONCACAF Champions League Team of the Tournament: 2020^[8]