.jpg) Herrera asTijuana manager in 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Miguel Ernesto Herrera Aguirre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1968-03-18)18 March 1968 (age 57) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Cuautepec de Hinojosa, Hidalgo, Mexico[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Defender | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1986 | Deportivo Neza | ? | (?) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1988 | UAG | ? | (?) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1989 | Santos Laguna | 30 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | Atlante | 36 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1991 | Querétaro | 30 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1995 | Atlante | 125 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1999 | Toros Neza | 109 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Atlante | 33 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 380 | (21) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1994 | Mexico | 14 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Atlante | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Monterrey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Veracruz | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Estudiantes Tecos | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Atlante | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | América | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Mexico | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Tijuana | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2020 | América | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Tigres UANL | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Tijuana | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | Costa Rica | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Miguel Ernesto Herrera Aguirre (born 18 March 1968), popularly referred to by his nickname "Piojo" (Spanish for "louse"),[3] is a Mexican professionalfootballmanager and former player.
A formerdefender, Herrera began his career playing with second division sideDeportivo Neza in 1985, then transferring toTecos UAG in 1987, and making his debut in thePrimera División in 1988. After a brief period withSantos Laguna, in 1989 Herrera transferred toAtlante and went on to play for the club on three occasions, winning his only league championship as a player during the1992–93 season. He also had a notable spell withToros Neza, making over 100 appearances for the club from 1995 till 1999. He retired with Atlante in 2000. Herrera was also aMexican international, earning 14 caps and participated in the1993 Copa América tournament in which Mexico finished runner-up.[4]
As a manager, Herrera was in charge of Atlante in 2002, and again in 2010. He also coachedMonterrey, managing them to two finals in 2004 and 2005, losing toUNAM andToluca. He went on to coachVeracruz in 2008, andEstudiantes Tecos from 2008 until 2010. In November 2011, Herrera was announced as manager ofClub América, with which he won his first league championship in 2013. In 2018, he won a secondLiga MX title in his second spell with the club.
In October 2013, Herrera was named interim coach of the Mexico national team to guide them through the intercontinental playoff matches againstNew Zealand to qualify for the2014 World Cup. After Mexico won the playoff and gained qualification, Herrera's job was extended to coaching the team during the World Cup. He ultimately extended his contract until 2018. Despite leading Mexico to the2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, he was sacked as coach of the national team after a physical altercation with a journalist.
Herrera made his debut in 1985 with second division sideDeportivo Neza. Originally aforward, he switched to playing as adefender after his move toTecos UAG in 1987. Herrera made his debut in thePrimera División on 22 May 1988, in a 2–0 victory overAtlas.[5] He transferred toSantos Laguna in 1988, making 30 appearances and scoring four goals. He had his first stint with Atlante in 1989, making 36 appearances and scoring four goals before moving toQuerétaro in 1990. He again transferred to Atlante in 1991, and won his first league title during the1992–93 season after defeatingMonterrey in the finals by a 4–0 aggregate score after winning the first-leg 1–0 and the second 4–0. He would remain at the club until 1995, making 125 appearances and scoring nine goals. Herrera was then sold toToros Neza, with whom he would play in his second league final during the "Verano '97" season, ultimately losing toGuadalajara by an aggregate score of 7–2. In 1999, Herrera returned to Atlante for a third time before officially retiring in 2000.
Herrera participated with thesenior national team in the1993 Copa América tournament held inEcuador. Mexico went on to reach the final againstArgentina, losing 1–2.
Herrera played in all of Mexico's matches during the qualifying stages for the1994 FIFA World Cup, though he was omitted from the final squad list by coachMiguel Mejía Barón.[3]
In 2002, two years after retiring, Herrera came back to coach his former club Atlante. He would remain manager for two years, but resigned in 2004 after failing to take Atlante to a final.
For the Apertura 2004, Herrera was named head coach ofMonterrey. He coincidentally faced his former club Atlante in the semifinals, with Monterrey advancing by an aggregate score of 7–3. He ultimately failed to make Monterrey champions, losing toUNAM in the final by an aggregate score of 3–1. He succeeded in taking Monterrey to another final in the Apertura 2005 tournament, but failed once more, this time losing toToluca with an aggregate score of 6–3. Herrera would continue to be manager of Monterrey until the Apertura 2007 tournament, where his contract was terminated in September 2007 due to continuous poor form.[6]
Prior to the Clausura 2008, Herrera was hired as manager ofVeracruz after the resignation ofAntonio Mohamed.[7] A stand-out victory for Herrera was a 4–0 home victory overClub América on 29 March 2008.[8] He was in charge of preventing Veracruz from being relegated to thePrimera División A, though Veracruz were inevitably relegated. Herrera parted ways with the club in May 2008.[9]
Shortly after leaving Veracruz, Herrera was hired to manage a strugglingEstudiantes Tecos midway into the Apertura 2008 tournament to replaceJosé Luis Trejo.[10] He was fired on 6 September 2010 after Tecos suffered a 0–3 defeat againstGuadalajara during a league match of the Apertura tournament.[11]
In November 2010 it was announced that Herrera was hired as the new Atlante manager, returning to his former club following his first managerial stint in 2002.[12] Under his reign, Atlante finished fourth in the Clausura 2011, though they would be eliminated in the quarterfinals byCruz Azul.[13] Atlante failed to qualify for the playoffs of the Apertura 2011, and Herrera did not renew his contract with the club. There were reports linking him withClub América as their new manager for the following season.[14]
On 16 November 2011, Herrera was officially named manager of Club América.[15][16][17] In his first press conference, Herrera revealed he had signed a six-month contract, saying, "[i]f in six months I don't give results, I'll leave."[18] On 7 January 2012, América defeatedQuerétaro 2–0, which was Herrera's first official victory with América.[19] América finished theClausura in third place and reached the semifinals, being eliminated byMonterrey by an aggregate score of 0–2.[20] On 14 May, Miguel Herrera was ratified as manager.[21] He led the club to a fourth-place finish the followingApertura, once again being eliminated at the semifinals stage following a 2–3 aggregate loss toToluca.
On 26 May 2013, América won theeleventh league title in its history by defeating Cruz Azul 4–2 on penalties after a dramatic comeback from a 0–1 first leg loss to tie 2–2 on aggregate, and playing the second leg with ten men for over 105 minutes. It was Herrera's first title in his managerial career after losing his two previous finals while at Monterrey.[22]
The followingApertura, Herrera led América to another league final after topping the league table with 37 points, however they were defeated byLeón.[23] Midway through the tournament, Herrera was named interim coach of theMexico national team; his assistant Álvaro Galindo coached América until Herrera's return in November. It was later announced that Herrera would take over as head coach of the Mexican team on a permanent basis.
On 18 October 2013, Herrera was appointed interim head coach of the Mexico, replacingVíctor Manuel Vucetich to become the fourth national team coach within the span of a month.[24] He ledEl Tri to a 9–3 aggregate victory overNew Zealand in theinter-confederation play-off to qualify for the2014 World Cup in Brazil. On 2 December, it was announced that Herrera would remain national team coach at least through the World Cup.[25]
At the World Cup, Mexico finished second in theirgroup with 7 points, obtaining wins againstCameroon[26] andCroatia[27] and securing a scoreless draw against thehost nation.[28]They faced theNetherlands in theround-of-16, where Mexico wascontroversially eliminated after succumbing to a 2–1 defeat.[29] On 3 December, he declared that his contract with the national team was renewed.[30] His performances for 2014 had theIFFHS rank him as the 7th best manager of the year.[31]
Mexico failed to make it past the group stage of the2015 Copa América, only attaining two draws and one loss.[32] On 26 July 2015, Mexico won theCONCACAF Gold Cup after defeatingJamaica 3–1 in thefinal.[33] Two days later, Herrera was released as coach of the Mexico national team after an alleged physical altercation withTV Azteca announcerChristian Martinoli – who had been critical of Herrera – while the two waited in the TSA line at thePhiladelphia International Airport.[34]
On 2 November 2015, Herrera was named manager ofClub Tijuana. He managed the club until May 2017, qualifying to the play-offs twice.
On 26 May 2017, Club América announced Herrera as their new manager.[35] He lost in his first official game as the club's manager, a 1–2 defeat toQuerétaro in theSupercopa MX.[36] Six days later, América again lost to Querétaro, this time by a 0–1 scoreline, in their opening match of theApertura tournament.[37] The following week, Herrera won his first league match in his second spell with América, defeatingPachuca 2–0 atEstadio Hidalgo.[38] Herrera led América to a third-place finish during the regular phase of the Apertura, however they were eliminated in the semifinals by Tigres UANL.[39] América also went out of the2018 CONCACAF Champions League toToronto FC in the semifinals.[40] The club finished the followingClausura tournament in second-place, and was again eliminated at the semifinal stage, this time losing toSantos Laguna by a 6–3 aggregate score.[41]
Herrera led América to another second-place finish in the2018 Apertura, only suffering two defeats throughout the regular phase of the tournament, and went undefeated in the playoffs.[42] On 16 December, Herrera won his second league title – both with Club América – following a 2–0 aggregate victory over Cruz Azul in thefinals.[43] He also led the team on a 17-game unbeaten streak en route to winning the championship, equaling the record set by the club underMario Carrillo in 2005 when it won that year's Clausura.[44]
On 5 February 2019, Herrera reached 100 wins in charge of Club América following a 3–1 victory overNecaxa in theCopa MX, becoming the third manager in the club's history afterJose Antonio Roca andCarlos Reinoso to reach that milestone.[45][46] On 11 April, América defeatedFC Juárez 1–0 in theClausura final of the Copa MX. This was Herrera's first cup title in his career, and his third title overall with Club América.[47]
On 21 December 2020, Herrera was dismissed from his position following the club's exit from the CONCACAF Champions League.[48]
On 20 May 2021, Herrera was appointed manager ofTigres UANL, replacingRicardo Ferretti.[49] On 9 November 2022, Herrera was dismissed from his job.[50]
On 10 February 2023,Club Tijuana announced Herrera as their new manager. On 30 April 2024, Tijuana and Herrera parted ways.[51]
On 7 January 2025, theCosta Rican Football Federation announced Herrera as the new manager of the national team.[52] On 20 November, Herrera was dismissed from his role following Costa Rica’s failure to qualify for the2026 FIFA World Cup.[53]
Herrera is a known "Lavolpista",[54] a term used to describe coaches that follow the style and philosophy ofRicardo La Volpe, although Herrera has stated he isn't, arguing he incorporates footballing styles from various other coaches he has trained with.[55][56] Most of them use the5–3–2 formation with fastwing-backs.[56] Herrera has been criticized for deploying a "pyrotechnic" style with offensive and direct game that sometimes leaves the defense vulnerable. He transferred over the formation fromClub América to national level when he was made Mexico's manager.[57]
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Atlante |  | 20 February 2002 | 30 May 2004 | 97 | 38 | 31 | 28 | 039.18 |
| Monterrey | 2 June 2004 | 26 September 2007 | 127 | 51 | 32 | 44 | 040.16 | |
| Veracruz | 30 January 2008 | 3 May 2008 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 026.67 | |
| Estudiantes Tecos | 2 September 2008 | 6 September 2010 | 80 | 25 | 21 | 34 | 031.25 | |
| Atlante | 23 November 2010 | 15 November 2011 | 36 | 13 | 8 | 15 | 036.11 | |
| América | 16 November 2011 | 15 December 2013 | 102 | 55 | 23 | 24 | 053.92 | |
| Mexico | 18 October 2013 | 28 July 2015 | 36 | 19 | 10 | 7 | 052.78 | |
| Tijuana | 2 November 2015 | 21 May 2017 | 74 | 33 | 18 | 23 | 044.59 | |
| América | 30 May 2017 | 21 December 2020 | 175 | 87 | 43 | 45 | 049.71 | |
| Tigres UANL | 20 May 2021 | 9 November 2022 | 63 | 32 | 13 | 18 | 050.79 | |
| Tijuana | 10 February 2023 | 30 April 2024 | 47 | 10 | 13 | 24 | 021.28 | |
| Costa Rica |  | 7 January 2025 | 20 November 2025 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 046.67 |
| Total | 867 | 374 | 223 | 270 | 043.14 | |||
Atlante
Mexico
América
Mexico
Individual
International tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
