Álex Aguinaga
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alex Dario Aguinaga Garzón | ||
| Date of birth | July 9, 1968 | ||
| Place of birth | Ibarra, Ecuador | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1984–1989 | Deportivo Quito | 147 | (38) |
| 1989–2003 | Necaxa | 476 | (85) |
| 2003–2004 | Cruz Azul | 14 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | LDU Quito | 71 | (9) |
| Total | 708 | (132) | |
| National team | |||
| 1987–2004 | Ecuador | 109 | (23) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2011 | América (assistant) | ||
| 2011 | Barcelona SC | ||
| 2012 | San Luis | ||
| 2013 | LDU Loja | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Álex Dario Aguinaga Garzón (born July 9, 1968 in Ibarra) is an Ecuadorian retired football midfielder and mananger of Ecuadorian Serie A team LDU Loja. As a player, he is one of the all-time cap leaders for Ecuador with 109 matches, scoring 23 goals.[1] Aguinaga is known as one of the best Ecuadorian footballers of all time. On the club level, Aguinaga has played for Deportivo Quito, Necaxa, Cruz Azul and LDU Quito.
Club career
Deportivo Quito
Alex rose through Deportivo Quito's youth ranks where he impressed many scouts. During international duty, he impressed Fabio Capello who wished to sign him. By the time his scouts approached Aguinaga it was too late. They found out that he was sold for a small amount of money to Mexican football club Necaxa.
Necaxa
Alex spent the majority of his club career at Necaxa, whom he joined in 1989, winning 3 championships with the club. In his first ever win of a championship in professional football, he won by scoring the first goal in the 1995 Mexican League final vs Cruz Azul, winning the final 2-0. He would later win 2 other league titles with Necaxa in 1996 and 1998 vs Celaya and Chivas respectively. In 1999 Alex was crucial for Necaxa's first ever international win, winning the Concacaf championship. This win made Necaxa eligible to participate in the first ever FIFA Club World Cup where he scored 2 goals vs Melbourne and Vasco da Gama. He made a penalty in a penalty face off with Real Madrid for the Third place honor, which gave Necaxa the win.During his career, Alex was approached by many major European clubs, including Inter Milan and Real Madrid. However, Alex gave Necaxa his last word. He stated that all he needed to hear was the club did not want him and that would incite him to sign with another club, but the owners were wise enough to keep him and for over 13 years, Aguinaga defended the red and white jersey. He played for his country in the 2002 FIFA World Cup at the age of 34. Aguinaga transferred over to Cruz Azul in 2003 after Necaxa moved to Aguascalientes. He also holds a Mexican passport because he spent most of his football career in Mexico playing for Necaxa mostly and Cruz Azul. His grandfather is of Spanish descent.
LDU Quito
Alex decided it would be in Ecuador where he would retire from his footballing career. After many great games and goals defending the LDU uniform, Alex won the 2005 Ecuadorian Serie A championship, thus retiring a champion.
International career
Álex Aguinaga earned his first cap for Ecuador on March 5, 1987. In the same match, he scored his first goal for the team. Over the year, he would form an integral part of the national team. He would captain the team for a number of years and assisted in the goal by Iván Kaviedes that assured Ecuador's first qualification to the FIFA World Cup in 2002. By his retirement in 2003, he had 109 caps, scored 23 goals, played in 7 Copa Américas, and one FIFA World Cup.
International goals
Managerial career
Aguinaga's managerial career began in late 2010 as an assistant to Manuel Lapuente at Mexican club América. He left the club in early 2011 when Lapuente was sacked. In March of the same year, he was named to his first full-time managerial post as the new manager of Guayaquil-based club Barcelona following the sacking of Rubén Darío Insúa.[3] In late May of the same year, he resigned from his position to not interfere and influence the club's presidential elections the following month. He has not ruled out a return after the election.[4]
Personal life
Aguinaga's daughter Cristiane is an actress and has appeared in several Mexican series and telenovelas such as Carita de Ángel and La rosa de Guadalupe.[5]
Honors
Club
- Primera División: 1994-95, 1995–96, 1998 Invierno
- CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup: 1994
- Mexican Cup: 1995
- Campeón de Campeones: 1995
- CONCACAF Champions' Cup: 1999
LDU Quito
- Serie A: 2005 Apertura
Nation
Individual
- Ideal team of South America: 1989
- Number 7 retired by Necaxa as a recognition to his contribution to the club.
References
- ↑ rsssf: Ecuador record international footballers
- ↑ "Alex Darío Aguinaga - International Appearances". RSSSF. July 25, 2004. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
- ↑ "El legendario Álex Aguinaga es el nuevo director técnico de Barcelona" [The legendary Álex Aguinaga is the new manager of Barcelona] (in Spanish). El Universo. March 25, 2011. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
- ↑ "Hasta ahí nomás" [Enough] (in Spanish). futbolecuador.com. May 27, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1039219/
External links
- Álex Aguinaga statistics and biography at FootballDatabase.com
- International statistics at rsssf
- Álex Aguinaga at National-Football-Teams.com
- Video de YouTube
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