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Javier Aguirre
Mexican former player and manager (born 1958) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Javier Aguirre Onaindía (Spanish pronunciation: [xaˈβjeɾ aˈɣire]; born 1 December 1958), nicknamed El Vasco (The Basque), is a Mexican football manager and former footballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently manager of the Mexico national team.
Aguirre played for Mexico in the 1986 World Cup. He is currently in his third managerial stint with the team; he previously coached them to the World Cup in 2002 and 2010. He has also won two CONCACAF Gold Cup titles (in 2009 and 2025) and led Mexico to the final of the 2001 Copa América. Later, he managed Japan and Egypt.
At club level, Aguirre led six clubs in Spain's La Liga. He finished fourth with Osasuna in 2006 and Atlético Madrid in 2008. He took Atlético and Mallorca to Copa del Rey finals, losing in 2005 and 2024 respectively. He also won the CONCACAF Champions League with Monterrey in 2021.
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Early life
Aguirre was born in Mexico City on 1 December 1958. He earned the nickname El Vasco due to his parents’ Basque heritage. His mother hailed from Guernica and his father from Ispaster; the couple migrated to Mexico in 1950. Through them, Aguirre qualified for a Spanish passport, a valuable asset that eased his professional career abroad. Reflecting his roots, he gave his three sons traditional Basque names: Iker, Ander, and Iñaki.[1]
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Playing career
Club
Aguirre began his professional career with Club América, making his first-team debut in 1979 before moving to the Los Angeles Aztecs the following year. After a brief stint in the United States, he returned to his former club, where he quickly cemented his place as a regular starter. His second spell with Club América proved highly successful, culminating in the 1983–84 championship title, in which he scored in the decisive final.
Aguirre then joined Atlante, spending two seasons with the club before heading to Spain to sign with Osasuna. His time in La Liga was disrupted by a serious injury that sidelined him for several months, and after just a year abroad, he returned to Mexico to play for Guadalajara. There, he made over 100 appearances before bringing his playing career to a close.
International
Aguirre earned 59 international caps for the Mexico national team between 1983 and 1992, scoring 13 goals.[2] He was a member of the squad at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, held in Mexico, where he appeared in the quarter-final against West Germany.[3] During the game, Aguirre was sent off, becoming the first Mexican player to be dismissed in a World Cup fixture.[4]
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Managerial career
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Early years
After his retirement, Aguirre took up managing, first at Atlante and then Pachuca, where he won his first title as manager, the Invierno 1999 championship.
First spell with Mexico
On 22 June 2001, Aguirre was appointed manager of the Mexico national team, replacing Enrique Meza. The team sat fifth in their qualifying group for the 2002 FIFA World Cup following a 3–1 away defeat to Honduras, part of a dismal run of just one win in 12 matches.[5] In his debut match on 1 July, El Tri defeated the United States at home. Mexico ultimately qualified in second place behind Costa Rica after securing a crucial 3–0 victory over Honduras at the Estadio Azteca on 11 November.[6][7]
In July 2001, Aguirre led Mexico at the Copa América in Colombia, where they defeated Brazil, Chile and Uruguay before narrowly losing the final 1–0 to the hosts.[8] A year later at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, his side topped their group at Italy's expense before falling 2–0 to the United States in the Round of 16.[9]
Osasuna
On 6 June 2002, while leading Mexico at the World Cup, Aguirre joined La Liga club Osasuna after previous manager Miguel Ángel Lotina quit for Celta de Vigo; he had previously played for the Navarrese club.[10] In his first season in Pamplona, the club reached the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, losing 4–2 on aggregate to Recreativo de Huelva.[11]
In 2004–05, Aguirre went one better, guiding Osasuna to the cup final, where they lost 2–1 after extra time to Real Betis.[12] In the following league season, the Rojillos beat Sevilla FC to a joint-best 4th place and their first qualification to the UEFA Champions League, having led the table after 11 games.[13]
Atlético Madrid
On 24 May 2006, days after Osasuna finished the season in fourth, Aguirre signed a one-year contract to replace Pepe Murcia at Atlético Madrid.[14] After a fourth-place finish in 2008 confirmed a place in the Champions League, he extended his deal by another year.[15]
Aguirre was dismissed from the Vicente Calderón Stadium on 2 February 2009, after a run of two points from five games. He was replaced by the team's former goalkeeper Abel Resino, who arrived from CD Castellón.[16]
Second spell with Mexico
On 3 April 2009, Aguirre was officially appointed as the new manager of the Mexico national team, replacing Sven-Göran Eriksson. He was officially presented in a press conference two weeks later. At the press conference, he stated: "I am not a savior. My aim is that we regain our identity and convince people that we can achieve this together". His annual salary was reported to be US$1,635,000.[17]
On 6 June 2009, Aguirre debuted in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against El Salvador, losing 2–1. However, he rebounded four days later with a 2–1 win over Trinidad and Tobago.
On 9 July 2009, Aguirre was ejected in an incident during the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup match versus Panama. During a play along the sideline, Aguirre kicked Panamanian player Ricardo Phillips, triggering Phillips to push Aguirre, causing ejections for both Aguirre and Phillips and delaying the match for over 10 minutes due to the refusal of the player from Panama to leave the field.[18] Aguirre apologized to the Mexican fans, media, football players and staff, but never extended such courtesy to Philips or the Panamanian team. He was suspended for three games and the Mexican Football Federation was fined US$25,000 by CONCACAF.[19]
On 26 July 2009, Aguirre led Mexico to its fifth Gold Cup title and its first win against the United States outside of Mexico since 1999.[20] He then led Mexico to a comeback win over the same opposition at the Estadio Azteca on 12 August 2009 and followed it up by winning 3–0 in Costa Rica, putting Mexico closer to a qualifying spot for the World Cup that seemed to be an impossible task at the time when Eriksson was sacked. On 10 October 2009, Mexico beat El Salvador in the Estadio Azteca 4–1, qualifying Mexico for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
After that, in their last hexagonal game against Trinidad and Tobago, they tied 2–2, ending the World Cup qualifying journey.
On 30 June 2010, Aguirre resigned as coach of Mexico following their failure to reach the quarter-finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Mexico finished second in Group A, ahead of hosts South Africa and France, but their progress was halted in the round of 16 where they were defeated 3–1 by Argentina.[21]
Aguirre's decision-making during the qualifying stages and during the World Cup garnered criticism, with journalist José Ramón Fernández calling him the worst coach at the World Cup after France's Raymond Domenech.[22] His insistence on playing team-less striker Guillermo Franco, while keeping Manchester United striker Javier Hernández on the bench bewildered many fans and commentators.[23] Aguirre came under additional criticism for his refusal to explain his decisions.[24]
During the run up to the World Cup Aguirre expressed his desire to coach in the Premier League in England, but did not receive any offers.[25]
Real Zaragoza
On 17 November 2010, Aguirre became the manager of Real Zaragoza.[26] On 29 December 2011, he was relieved of his duties following the club's descent into the relegation spots.[27]
Espanyol
On 28 November 2012, Aguirre was appointed manager of Espanyol, who were 20th in the La Liga table at the time. On 16 May 2014, Aguirre announced his departure. He was succeeded by Sergio.[28][29]
Japan
In August 2014, Aguirre became the new manager of the Japan national team, replacing Alberto Zaccheroni, who had resigned following the World Cup.[30] At the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, Japan won all three of its group matches, scoring seven goals and conceding none, though was knocked out in the quarter-final by the United Arab Emirates.
On 3 February 2015, the Japan Football Association announced the termination of Aguirre's contract. This decision followed the confirmation that Spanish anti-corruption investigators had indicted Aguirre for alleged involvement in an ongoing match-fixing investigation.[31]
Al Wahda
On 18 June 2015, Aguirre was hired as new manager of the Al-Wahda FC from United Arab Emirates.[32] On 21 May 2017, after leading Al Wahda to the President's Cup championship victory, Aguirre decided to step down as manager.[33]
Egypt
In July 2018, Aguirre was on a four-man shortlist for the vacant Egyptian national team manager job.[34] He was appointed manager in August 2018.[35] During the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, which was hosted in Egypt, the national team was eliminated by South Africa in the Round of 16. As a result, Aguirre was sacked along with the whole technical and administrative staff of the national team for the disappointing result.[36][37]
Leganés
In November 2019, Aguirre returned to La Liga, taking over Leganés after the dismissal of Mauricio Pellegrino.[38] In July 2020, he stepped down from his position after the club was relegated on the final day of the season.[39][40]
Monterrey
Although Aguirre had previously stated that his coaching days in Mexican football were behind him, he took the reins of Monterrey in December 2020.[41] On 28 October 2021, Aguirre led Monterrey to the CONCACAF Champions League title with a 1–0 triumph over América in the final.[42]
On 26 February 2022, he was dismissed from his position after a run of disappointing results.[43]
Mallorca
On 24 March 2022, Aguirre returned to La Liga. He joined Mallorca, who were one point above the relegation zone with nine games remaining.[44] Mallorca avoided relegation on the last day of the season.[45]
Aguirre led Mallorca to the Copa del Rey final. They lost to Athletic Bilbao on penalties after a 1–1 draw at the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville.[46] On 22 May 2024, Aguirre and Mallorca parted ways.[47]
Third spell with Mexico
On 22 July 2024, the Mexican Football Federation announced Aguirre as the new manager of the national team.[48]
In November 2024, Aguirre was hit by a beer can, leaving him bloodied after his team’s 2–0 loss to Honduras in the Nations League quarter-final. Despite the injury, Aguirre downplayed the incident, focusing on congratulating the victors. The Mexican Football Federation condemned the attack, urging CONCACAF to act, while CONCACAF promised an investigation. Honduras manager Reinaldo Rueda also expressed disappointment over the violence.[49] The incident was also condemned by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, calling it "horrible" and called for an investigation of the incident.[50]
In March 2025, Aguirre helped Mexico achieve its first Nations League title after defeating Panama 2–1 in the final.[51] In July that year, Aguirre won his second Gold Cup after defeating rivals the United States 2–1 in the final.[52]
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Managerial statistics
- As of match played 18 November 2025
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Honours
Player
América
Manager
Pachuca
Osasuna
- Copa del Rey runner-up: 2004–05
Al-Wahda
Monterrey
Mallorca
- Copa del Rey runner-up: 2023–24[64]
Mexico
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2009, 2025
- CONCACAF Nations League: 2024–25
- Copa América runner-up: 2001
Individual
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References
External links
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