André-Pierre Gignac chases sixth Tigres crown as retirement rumours swirl | OneFootball

According to L'Équipe, André-Pierre Gignac, 40, is targeting a sixth Mexican league title with Tigres as a two-legged final against Toluca begins overnight from Thursday to Friday. The first leg is at home on Friday at 3am, the return is on Monday at 2am at 2,667 metres.

For him it would be a crowning addition to 10 years in Mexico, marked by spectacular goals, trophies and acclaim. It comes a decade after his first championship in 2015.

In Saturday’s semi-final second leg against Cruz Azul, a 1-1 draw followed a 1-1 first leg, and Tigres advanced thanks to their superior regular-season ranking. Gignac supplied a deft back-heel that freed Juan Brunetta to score.

Scoring less and serving the collective since returning from an Achilles tendon injury that kept him out for the first six months of the year, he has been reintegrated by coach Guido Pizarro, a former team-mate and friend. Before the quarter-final second leg with Tijuana, trailing 0-3, he urged belief in a dressing-room address, and Tigres then won 5-0 at a raucous Volcán.

Commentator Edu Torres describes a figure widely respected in the dressing room, saying Gignac’s mentality lifts team-mates, and he is willing to let younger players take penalties and accepts rotation without complaint.

The France international, capped 36 times, is out of contract in June. Social media rumours suggest he might bow out without warning if another title arrives, and fans have adopted a rallying cry for one last trophy before goodbye.

Source: L'Équipe