Joel Sánchez (Mexican footballer)

Joel Sánchez Ramos (born 17 August 1974 in Guadalajara) is a retired Mexican football defender who last played for Veracruz. He is nicknamed "El Tiburón" Sánchez. He was on the Mexico squad that won the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Joel Sánchez

Personal information
Full name	Joel Sánchez Ramos
Date of birth	(1974-08-17) 17 August 1974
Place of birth	Zapotiltic, Jalisco, Mexico
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Centre Back
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1991–1999	Guadalajara	156	(16)
1999–2000	Club América	49	(4)
2000–2003	Guadalajara	126	(11)
2004	Veracruz	19	(0)
2004–2005	Dorados	34	(2)
2005–2006	Veracruz	52	(7)
2007–2011	Querétaro F.C.	17	(1)
2007–2010	→ Estudiantes Tecos (loan)	73	(6)
2010–2011	→ Veracruz (loan)	0	(0)
Total		526	(47)
National team‡
1996–2001	Mexico	32	(3)
Teams managed
2012	Puebla (assistant)
2013	Instituto Once México
2014	Dorados de Sinaloa (assistant)
2014	Coras de Nayarit
2015	Zacatepec
2015–2016	Mineros de Zacatecas
2016–2017	Leones Negros UdeG
2018	Venados
2020	Los Cabos
Honours Representing  Mexico Copa America 1997 Copa America 1999
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 June 2008 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19 November 2006

A strong central defender, Sanchez made his debut with Guadalajara during the 1991–92 season. He is best known for his time at Chivas, where he won 1997 Verano championship. At Guadalajara, he formed a powerful defensive core alongside Claudio Suárez, with whom he played at both club and international level. After spending a year at rival Club América, he returned to Chivas in 2000. In later years, he played for Veracruz, Dorados, Querétaro, and Tecos.

He was a member of the Primera División at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, playing in the first-round games against Belgium and the Netherlands. In addition, Sanchez represented Mexico at the Copa América tournaments (1997) and (1999), helping the team to third-place finishes on both occasions.