Which Guadalajara legend is celebrating his birthday today? | OneFootball

On this day 51 years ago, a defender was born who would make history with Chivas. That's right, we're talking about Joel "Tiburón" Sánchez, a member of that Rebaño team that was crowned champions at the Jalisco Stadium during the summer of 1997.

Joel trained in the Guadalajara youth academy, joining the Rojiblanco Cantera at just 12 years old. It was during this process that he earned the nickname "Tiburón." In an interview, he said that during the final stage of tryouts, when there were 30 children left, he was fortunate enough to be among those chosen. However, one of those who was not selected commented, "He has the face of a shark," referring to Joel. Despite his annoyance, his teammates began to call him that as a joke, and over time the nickname became part of his identity and a moniker he now wears with pride.

His debut with the first team was as special as it was eventful. Sánchez recalled with a laugh that he arrived at a difficult time for a youth player to make a name for himself, as the locker room was filled with stars such as Ramón Ramírez and Alberto Coyote.

During an intra-squad scrimmage, he had the opportunity he had been waiting for to show himself to the coaching staff. Barely a minute into the game, he collided with Coyote, causing a dislocation that forced him to leave training. In the fourth minute, in an aerial duel with Daniel Corral, he injured his ankle and also had to leave. To top it off, in the tenth minute, in a 50-50 ball, he ended up bending Tilon Chávez's knee, who was also unable to continue.

After these incidents, he was removed from training. In the locker room, Sánchez feared that coach Alberto Guerra would expel him from the team, but to his surprise, Guerra congratulated him on his intensity and gave him the news that he would make his first trip with Guadalajara to visit Toluca.

That's where he made his long-awaited debut, which he remembers like this: "A dream debut. It was very emotional, and I was impressed by the setting, because you know that Chivas is at home everywhere."

That debut was just the beginning of a great story with the Rebaño Sagrado, which reached its peak in the summer of 1997 with the historic championship against Toros Neza at the Jalisco Stadium. In addition, Sánchez had an important stint with the Mexican national team, with which he won the Confederations Cup in 1999.

A Guadalajara icon and a man who has always made his love for these colors clear.

Happy birthday, "Tibu"!