 Aguirre asAtlético Madrid manager in 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Javier Aguirre Onaindía | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1958-12-01)1 December 1958 (age 66) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Mexico City, Mexico | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Mexico (manager) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| América | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1979–1980 | América | 9 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1980–1981 | Los Angeles Aztecs | 30 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1981–1984 | América | 128 | (31) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984–1986 | Atlante | 31 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1987 | Osasuna | 13 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1993 | Guadalajara | 181 | (17) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 392 | (56) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1992 | Mexico | 59 | (14) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | Atlante | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2001 | Pachuca | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Mexico | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2006 | Osasuna | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2009 | Atlético Madrid | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Mexico | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Zaragoza | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Espanyol | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Al-Wahda | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Egypt | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Leganés | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Monterrey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Mallorca | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Mexico | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Javier Aguirre Onaindía (Spanish pronunciation:[xaˈβjeɾaˈɣire]; born 1 December 1958), nicknamedEl Vasco (The Basque), is a Mexican footballmanager and formerfootballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently manager of theMexico national team.
Aguirre played forMexico in the1986 World Cup. He is currently in his third managerial stint with the team; he previously coached them to the World Cup in2002 and2010. He has also won twoCONCACAF Gold Cup titles (in2009 and2025) and led Mexico to thefinal of the2001 Copa América. Later, he managedJapan andEgypt.
At club level, Aguirre led six clubs in Spain'sLa Liga. He finished fourth withOsasuna in 2006 andAtlético Madrid in 2008. He took Atlético andMallorca toCopa del Rey finals, losing in2005 and2024 respectively. He also won theCONCACAF Champions League withMonterrey in2021.
Aguirre was born inMexico City on 1 December 1958. He earned the nicknameEl Vasco due to his parents’Basque heritage. His mother hailed fromGuernica and his father fromIspaster; 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]
Aguirre began his professional career withClub América, making his first-team debut in 1979 before moving to theLos 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 the1983–84 championship title, in which he scored in the decisive final.
Aguirre then joinedAtlante, spending two seasons with the club before heading to Spain to sign withOsasuna. His time inLa 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 forGuadalajara. There, he made over 100 appearances before bringing his playing career to a close.
Aguirre earned 59 international caps for theMexico national team between 1983 and 1992, scoring 13 goals.[2]He was a member of the squad at the1986 FIFA World Cup, held in Mexico, where he appeared in the quarter-final againstWest Germany.[3] During the game, Aguirre was sent off, becoming the first Mexican player to be dismissed in a World Cup fixture.[4]
After his retirement, Aguirre took up managing, first atAtlante and thenPachuca, where he won his first title as manager, theInvierno 1999 championship.
On 22 June 2001, Aguirre became the manager of theMexico national team, replacingEnrique Meza; the team were fifth in theirqualifying group for the2002 FIFA World Cup after losing 3–1 away toHonduras, in a run of one win in 12 games.[5] In his first game on 1 July,El Tri beat rivals theUnited States at home with a singleJared Borgetti goal.[6] Mexico qualified in second place behindCosta Rica after a 3–0 win at theEstadio Azteca against the Hondurans on 11 November.[7]
In July 2001, Aguirre led Mexico at the2001 Copa América in Colombia. They defeatedBrazil,Chile andUruguay before losingthe final by a single goal to thehosts.[8] A year later at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, his side won their group atItaly's expense before losing 2–0 to the US in the Round of 16.[9]
On 6 June 2002, while leading Mexico at the World Cup, Aguirre joinedLa Liga clubOsasuna after previous managerMiguel Ángel Lotina quit forCelta de Vigo; he had previously played for theNavarrese club.[10] In his first season inPamplona, the club reached the semi-finals of theCopa del Rey, losing 4–2 on aggregate toRecreativo de Huelva.[11]
In2004–05, Aguirre went one better, guiding Osasuna to thecup final, where they lost 2–1 after extra time toReal Betis.[12] In thefollowing league season, theRojillos beatSevilla FC to a joint-best 4th place and their first qualification to theUEFA Champions League, having led the table after 11 games.[13]
On 24 May 2006, days after Osasuna finished the season in fourth, Aguirre signed a one-year contract to replacePepe Murcia atAtlético 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 theVicente Calderón Stadium on 2 February 2009, after a run of two points from five games. He was replaced by the team's former goalkeeperAbel Resino, who arrived fromCD Castellón.[16]
On 3 April 2009, Aguirre was officially appointed as the new manager of theMexico national team, replacingSven-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 a2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier againstEl Salvador, losing 2–1. However, he rebounded four days later with a 2–1 win overTrinidad and Tobago.
On 9 July 2009, Aguirre was ejected in an incident during the2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup match versusPanama. During a play along the sideline, Aguirre kicked Panamanian playerRicardo 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 theMexican Football Federation was fined US$25,000 byCONCACAF.[19]
On 26 July 2009, Aguirre led Mexico to its fifthGold Cup title and its first win against theUnited States outside of Mexico since 1999.[20] He then led Mexico to a comeback win over the same opposition at theEstadio Azteca on 12 August 2009 and followed it up by winning 3–0 inCosta 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 the2010 FIFA World Cup.
After that, in their last hexagonal game againstTrinidad 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 the2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Mexico finished second inGroup A, ahead of hostsSouth Africa andFrance, but their progress was halted in theround of 16 where they were defeated 3–1 byArgentina.[21]
Aguirre's decision-making during the qualifying stages and during the World Cup garnered criticism, with journalistJosé Ramón Fernández calling him the worst coach at the World Cup after France'sRaymond Domenech.[22] His insistence on playing team-less strikerGuillermo Franco, while keepingManchester United strikerJavier 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]
On 17 November 2010, Aguirre became the manager ofReal Zaragoza.[26] On 29 December 2011, he was relieved of his duties following the club's descent into the relegation spots.[27]
On 28 November 2012, Aguirre was appointed manager ofEspanyol, who were 20th in theLa Liga table at the time. On 16 May 2014, Aguirre announced his departure. He was succeeded bySergio.[28][29]
In August 2014, Aguirre became the new manager of theJapan national team, replacingAlberto Zaccheroni, who had resigned following theWorld Cup.[30] At the2015 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 theUnited Arab Emirates.
On 3 February 2015, theJapan 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]
On 18 June 2015, Aguirre was hired as new manager of theAl-Wahda FC fromUnited 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]
In July 2018, Aguirre was on a four-man shortlist for the vacantEgyptian national team manager job.[34] He was appointed manager in August 2018.[35] During the2019 Africa Cup of Nations, which was hosted in Egypt, the national team was eliminated bySouth 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]
In November 2019, Aguirre returned to La Liga, taking overLeganés after the dismissal ofMauricio 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]
Although Aguirre had previously stated that his coaching days in Mexican football were behind him, he took the reins ofMonterrey in December 2020.[41] On 28 October 2021, Aguirre led Monterrey to theCONCACAF Champions League title with a 1–0 triumph overAmérica in the final.[42]
On 26 February 2022, he was dismissed from his position after a run of disappointing results.[43]
On 24 March 2022, Aguirre returned to La Liga. He joinedMallorca, 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 theCopa del Rey final. They lost toAthletic Bilbao on penalties after a 1–1 draw at theEstadio de La Cartuja inSeville.[46] On 22 May 2024, Aguirre and Mallorca parted ways.[47]
On 22 July 2024, theMexican Football Federation announced Aguirre as the new manager of thenational 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 managerReinaldo Rueda also expressed disappointment over the violence.[49] The incident was also condemned by FIFA PresidentGianni Infantino, calling it "horrible" and called for an investigation of the incident.[50]
In March 2025, Aguirre helped Mexico achieve its firstNations League title after defeatingPanama 2–1 in thefinal.[51] In July that year, Aguirre won his secondGold Cup after defeating rivals theUnited States 2–1 in thefinal.[52]
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| Atlante |  | 1 February 1996 | 30 June 1996 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 17 | −5 | 018.18 | |
| Pachuca | | 10 September 1998 | 20 June 2001 | 110 | 44 | 27 | 39 | 153 | 149 | +4 | 040.00 | |
| Mexico | | 21 June 2001 | 1 July 2002 | 27 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 40 | 19 | +21 | 062.96 | [53] |
| Osasuna |  | 1 July 2002 | 19 May 2006 | 177 | 66 | 49 | 62 | 207 | 221 | −14 | 037.29 | [54] |
| Atlético Madrid | | 23 May 2006 | 2 February 2009 | 131 | 61 | 31 | 39 | 206 | 147 | +59 | 046.56 | [55] |
| Mexico | | 3 April 2009 | 30 June 2010 | 32 | 19 | 7 | 6 | 60 | 24 | +36 | 059.38 | [53] |
| Zaragoza | | 18 November 2010 | 29 December 2011 | 45 | 13 | 10 | 22 | 43 | 68 | −25 | 028.89 | [56] |
| Espanyol | | 28 November 2012 | 27 May 2014 | 69 | 22 | 18 | 29 | 79 | 88 | −9 | 031.88 | [57] |
| Japan |  | 24 July 2014 | 2 February 2015 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 10 | +9 | 060.00 | [58] |
| Al-Wahda |  | 18 June 2015 | 20 May 2017 | 78 | 34 | 21 | 23 | 154 | 108 | +46 | 043.59 | [59] |
| Egypt |  | 1 August 2018 | 7 July 2019 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 7 | +18 | 075.00 | [60] |
| Leganés | | 4 November 2019 | 20 July 2020 | 30 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 30 | 36 | −6 | 030.00 | [61] |
| Monterrey | | 7 December 2020 | 26 February 2022 | 53 | 23 | 17 | 13 | 75 | 44 | +31 | 043.40 | |
| Mallorca | | 24 March 2022 | 22 May 2024 | 97 | 34 | 28 | 35 | 103 | 106 | −3 | 035.05 | [62] |
| Mexico | | 22 July 2024 | Present | 21 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 30 | 19 | +11 | 052.38 | [63] |
| Career Total | 903 | 370 | 235 | 298 | 1,236 | 1,063 | +173 | 040.97 | — | |||
América
Pachuca
Osasuna
Al-Wahda
Monterrey
Mallorca
Mexico
Individual
International tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
