Photo Credit: Club Tijuana
By: Jonny Rico
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He had to be patient but his time has finally arrived. Gibran Lajud, 23, is set to kickoff the 2017 Clausura season of Liga MX as the Tijuana Xolos starting goalkeeper.
He arrived at Tijuana on loan from Cruz Azul at age 21, Xolos have since signed Lajud on a permanent basis. He played in the Under-17 and U-20 divisions while at Cruz Azul youth system and has featured for Mexico’s youth National Teams while in Tijuana.
The young goalkeeper was part of the Mexican U-20 team to play in the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. He was also part of the U-22 Mexican team that won the Gold Medal at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games. During 2015 Lajud added another two medals to his collection. He picked up the Silver Medal during the Pan-American Games and the Gold Medal during the Olympic Qualifying tournament.
Lajud was part of the 23-man roster for Mexico in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
He has waited his turn patiently in Tijuana serving as back-up goalkeepers to Cirilo Saucedo and Federico Vilar and is now ready to make the position his own. He received the nod from manager Miguel Herrera during the Xolos’ lone preseason friendly against Atlas in San Diego back on Dec. 28 and set to start the season.
“I am very happy and thankful for this opportunity,” said Lajud during a news conference the week prior to the start of the Clausura season. “It is a goal that I’ve always had and I will give it my best in each practice to be able to reach our team goals.”
