Javier Aguirre

Javier Aguirre Onaindía (; born 1 December 1958), nicknamed El Vasco (The Basque), is a Mexican football manager and former footballer.

As a player, he is best remembered for his time at Club América, where he made his debut and won a Primera División championship, and later at Guadalajara, where he played for six seasons before retiring. On the international stage, he earned 59 caps and represented Mexico at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

Upon retiring, Aguirre transitioned into management and quickly established a reputation as a tactically flexible and resilient coach. After leading Pachuca to prominence, he took charge of the Mexico national team, guiding them in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, a feat he would repeat at the 2010 and 2026 editions as well.

His managerial career extended well beyond Mexico. At Atlético Madrid, he delivered consistent top-table finishes in La Liga and secured regular European qualification; he also guided both Osasuna and Mallorca to Copa del Rey finals. On the international stage, he coached the national teams of Japan and Egypt, achieving mixed success.

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.

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. 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. During the game, Aguirre was sent off, becoming the first Mexican player to be dismissed in a World Cup fixture.

Managerial career

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. 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.

Aguirre coached Mexico at the 2001 Copa América in Colombia, where they beat Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay before losing the final 1–0 to the hosts. The next year, at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Mexico topped their group after wins over Croatia and Ecuador and a draw with Italy, but were eliminated in the round of 16 by the United States.

Osasuna On 6 June 2002, while leading Mexico at the World Cup, Aguirre agreed to coach La Liga club Osasuna after previous manager Miguel Ángel Lotina quit for Celta de Vigo; he had previously played for the Navarrese club. 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.

In 2004–05, Aguirre went one better, guiding Osasuna to the cup final, where they lost 2–1 after extra time to Real Betis. 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.

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. After a fourth-place finish in 2008 confirmed a place in the Champions League, he extended his deal by another year.

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.

Second spell with Mexico On 3 April 2009, Aguirre became the new manager of the Mexico national team, replacing Sven-Göran Eriksson. He was officially presented in a press conference two weeks later.

On 6 June, 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, 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. 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.

On 26 July, Aguirre led Mexico to its fifth Gold Cup title and its first win against the United States outside of Mexico since 1999. He then led Mexico to a comeback win over the same opposition at the Estadio Azteca on 12 August 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, Mexico beat El Salvador in the Estadio Azteca 4–1, qualifying Mexico for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

In June 2010, Aguirre led Mexico at a FIFA World Cup for the second time. The team finished second in their group, ahead of South Africa and France, but lost 3–1 to Argentina in the round of 16. Aguirre resigned after failing to reach the quarter-finals.

His choices during qualifying and the tournament drew heavy criticism. Journalist José Ramón Fernández labeled him the worst coach at the World Cup after France’s Raymond Domenech. Fans and commentators were frustrated by his reliance on striker Guillermo Franco while leaving Javier Hernández on the bench, and by his refusal to explain these decisions.

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.

Real Zaragoza On 17 November 2010, Aguirre became the manager of Real Zaragoza. On 29 December 2011, he was relieved of his duties following the club's descent into the relegation spots.

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.

Japan In August 2014, Aguirre became the new manager of the Japan national team, replacing Alberto Zaccheroni, who had resigned following the World Cup. 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.

Al Wahda On 18 June 2015, Aguirre was hired as new manager of the Al-Wahda FC from United Arab Emirates. On 21 May 2017, after leading Al Wahda to the President's Cup championship victory, Aguirre decided to step down as manager.

Egypt In July 2018, Aguirre was on a four-man shortlist for the vacant Egyptian national team manager job. He was appointed manager in August 2018. 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.

Leganés In November 2019, Aguirre returned to La Liga, taking over Leganés after the dismissal of Mauricio Pellegrino. In July 2020, he stepped down from his position after the club was relegated on the final day of the season.

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. On 28 October 2021, Aguirre led Monterrey to the CONCACAF Champions League title with a 1–0 triumph over América in the final. On 26 February 2022, he was dismissed from his position after a run of disappointing results.

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. Mallorca avoided relegation on the last day of the season.

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. On 22 May 2024, Aguirre and Mallorca parted ways.

Third spell with Mexico In July 2024, the Mexican Football Federation announced Aguirre as the new manager of the national team.

In November 2024, Aguirre was struck by a beer can and injured after his team's 2–0 loss to Honduras in the Nations League quarter-final. Aguirre minimized the incident, choosing instead to congratulate Honduras. The Mexican Football Federation condemned the attack and urged CONCACAF to act, while CONCACAF promised an investigation. Honduras coach Reinaldo Rueda expressed regret over the violence, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino called the incident “horrible” and demanded an investigation.

In March 2025, Aguirre helped Mexico achieve its first Nations League title after defeating Panama 2–1 in the final. In July that year, Aguirre won his second Gold Cup after defeating rivals the United States 2–1 in the final.

On June 11, 2026, Aguirre began his third World Cup campaign in charge of Mexico with a win over South Africa in the inaugural match of the tournament. The team then beat South Korea and the Czech Republic, finishing first in their group and advancing to the round of 32, becoming the first CONCACAF nation to win all group stage matches in a World Cup. Mexico proceeded to defeat Ecuador, their first knockout win in 40 years, but were eliminated by England in the following round. Aguirre stepped down following the conclusion of his contract, with assistant coach Rafael Márquez taking over as head of the team.

Managerial statistics

Honours Player América Mexican Primera División: 1983–84

Manager Pachuca Mexican Primera División: Invierno 1999

Osasuna Copa del Rey runner-up: 2004–05

Al-Wahda UAE President's Cup: 2016–17 UAE League Cup: 2015–16

Monterrey CONCACAF Champions League: 2021

Mallorca Copa del Rey runner-up: 2023–24

Mexico CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2009, 2025 CONCACAF Nations League: 2024–25 Copa América runner-up: 2001

Individual IFFHS CONCACAF Best Club Manager: 2021 IFFHS CONCACAF Best XI Manager: 2021