Javier Aguirre

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Javier Aguirre
Personal information
Full nameJavier Aguirre Onaindía
Date of birth (1958-12-01) 1 December 1958
Place of birthMexico City, Mexico
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Playing positionMidfielder
Club information
Current clubEspanyol (manager)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1979–1980América9(1)
1980–1981Los Angeles Aztecs30(4)
1981–1984América128(31)
1984–1986Atlante31(3)
1986–1987Osasuna13(0)
1987–1993Guadalajara181(17)
Total392(56)
National team
1983–1992Mexico59(14)
Teams managed
1995–1996Atlante
1998–2001Pachuca
2001–2002Mexico
2002–2006Osasuna
2006–2009Atlético Madrid
2009–2010Mexico
2010–2011Zaragoza
2012–Espanyol
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).
This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Aguirre and the second or maternal family name is Onaindía.

Javier Aguirre Onaindía (Spanish pronunciation: [xaˈβjeɾ aˈɣire]; born 1 December 1958), popularly nicknamed El Vasco (The Basque), is a Mexican footballer and current manager of La Liga club Espanyol. He was also a member of the Mexico national team and later became manager in two different occasions, but resigned after the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Playing career

Aguirre played for a number of clubs in Mexico, including Club América, where he won several championships, including a final against CD Guadalajara, in which he scored a goal. He also played outside Mexico, with Osasuna in Spain and the Los Angeles Aztecs in the United States.

He made 59 appearances for the Mexico national team between 1983 and 1992, scoring 13 goals.[1] He played in the FIFA World Cup in 1986 and was sent off in the quarter-final defeat by West Germany.

Managerial career

Early years

After retiring as a player, he took up managing, first with Atlante and then Club Pachuca, where he won the Invierno championship in 1999.

Mexico

In 2001, he replaced Enrique Meza as the manager of Mexico due to poor results. That same year, he managed them in the 2001 Copa América, but lost 0–1 in the final against host nation Colombia. In 2002, he managed them in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Mexico, commanded by Aguirre, were placed in Group G with Croatia, Italy, and Ecuador. Mexico were later eliminated from the World Cup, after losing 0–2 to the United States in the second round.

Osasuna

Aguirre was then hired to coach CA Osasuna, club for which he played for, of the Spanish La Liga, where he has been one of the most consistent coaches in the past years, mostly due to the achievement of all the goals he sets. After being hired to save Osasuna in 2002, he did so and stayed with the team until 2006, when he earned them a spot in the Champions League 3rd Qualifying Phase after a fourth place finish during the 2005–2006 season, culminating in entry to the UEFA Cup.

Atlético Madrid

The overwhelming success Aguirre achieved with a small budgeted team earned him the spot on Atlético Madrid's bench. In the first season (2006–07), his task was to get the team back in a European competition and he did so by putting Atlético in the UEFA Cup. The second year's goal (2007–08) was a more ambitious one: the Champions League. After an irregular season, Atlético earned a ticket to the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League under Aguirre's command.

On 2 February, Spanish sports newspaper Marca reported that Aguirre would be replaced by ex-Atlético goalkeeper and CD Castellón manager Abel Resino. The club cited Atlético's recently lacking performance in the new year as reasons for Aguirre's dismissal (Atlético had not won a single game in 2009, up to that point). While most of the club felt his dismissal was necessary, some see his departure as unfair since Aguirre elevated the club to a level it had not seen in almost 14 years.

Return to Mexico

On 3 April 2009, Aguirre was officially appointed as the new manager of the Mexico national team after the poor performance of Sven-Göran Eriksson. Many believe that Eriksson was the scapegoat to be blamed because of Mexico's recently weak team, but brought average results for Mexico. He was officially presented as Mexico manager in a press conference on 16 April 2009. At the press conference, he stated: "I add, gentlemen, that I want the player who comes, come with pride, to recover the identity that comes with our love for the shirt" and that a call-up "is a reward and not a punishment, that we're all here because it is a prize for our careers." His annual salary was US$1,635,000.[2]

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 the refusal of the player from Panama to leave the field.[3] 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 USD $25,000 by CONCACAF.[4]

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.[5] 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 second round where they were defeated 3–1 by Argentina.[6]

Real Zaragoza

Aguirre was named manager of Real Zaragoza on 17 November 2010, he was presented in a press conference the following day.[7] He was sacked on 29 December 2011 for putting the team in the relegation zone, the club owner quoted that the team has never done so bad in their club history .[8]

Espanyol

On 28 November 2012, Aguirre was named manager of RCD Espanyol. RCD Espanyol was in relegation zone, positioned in 20th place in the Liga BBVA table, at the time Aguirre was hired.

2010 World Cup controversy

Aguirre's decision-making during the qualifying stages and especially during the World Cup grew increasingly controversial, with the ESPN broadcaster José Ramón Fernández calling him the worst coach in the World Cup after France's Raymond Domenech.[9] In particular, his insistence on playing team-less striker Guillermo Franco while keeping Manchester United striker Javier Hernández on the bench bewildered many fans and commentators.[10] The 33-year-old Franco played poorly and failed to score a goal, while the 22-year-old Hernández scored two goals, once off the bench in the 2–0 victory over France and another as a starter in the 3–1 second-round loss to Argentina. Aguirre also came under fire for, among other things, leaving Toluca's creative midfielder Zinha out of the squad;[citation needed] for cutting 20-year-old Barcelona midfielder Jonathan dos Santos (brother of Giovani dos Santos) at the last moment[citation needed], while the team was already training abroad, and keeping veteran Adolfo Bautista on the squad[citation needed]; for starting the 37-year-old Óscar Perez in goal instead of regular starter Guillermo Ochoa[citation needed]; for starting the 37-year-old Cuauhtémoc Blanco in the 1–0 loss against Uruguay[citation needed]; for rotating the captain's armband among three different players (Rafael Márquez, Gerardo Torrado and Blanco)[citation needed]; for starting Bautista in the second-round match against Argentina[citation needed]; for using the speedy and talented winger Pablo Barrera strictly as a replacement[citation needed]; for relegating Deportivo La Coruña midfielder Andrés Guardado to the bench and replacing him in the two games he did start[citation needed]; and for choosing Ricardo Osorio as a central defender over the younger Héctor Moreno[citation needed] (Osorio was responsible for a crucial error in the match against Argentina that directly led to Argentina's second goal).

Aguirre also came under criticism for his refusal to explain these personnel decisions.[11] This has led to the proliferation of rumors in Mexico concerning Aguirre's and others' various ulterior motives. These rumors referenced the financial interests of the two major Mexican TV stations, Televisa and TV Azteca, as well as those of various soccer promoters and of the owners of Mexico's first-division teams, all of which wield enormous influence over the Mexican national team. Another questionable topic for Aguirre was the role played by Aguirre's assistant Mario Carrillo, who was supposedly in charge of Mexico's tactical work, but whose real role was never fully explained to the public. During the run up to the World Cup Aguirre expressed his desire to coach in the Premier League in England but received no offers.[12]

Honours

Player

América
  • Mexican Primera División: 1983–84, 1984–85, Prode 1985

Manager

Pachuca
  • Mexican Primera División: 1999
Atlético Madrid
México

International goals

References

  1. ↑ Mexico record international footballers. rsssf. Retrieved on 2011-12-30.
  2. ↑ ""Vasco", la Azul te espera" ["Vasco", the blue awaits you] (in Spanish). La Prensa Grafica. 16 April 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2010. ""Vengo a sumar, señores, quiero de alguna manera que el jugador que venga, venga con orgullo, que recupere la identidad, que venga con el amor a la camiseta" y que la convocatoria "sea un premio y no un castigo, aquí estamos todos porque es un premio para nuestras carreras", declaró." 
  3. ↑ Orozco, Ivan (10 July 2009). "Perez gives Panama 1–1 draw with Mexico". CONCACAF. CONCACAF. Retrieved 30 March 2010. 
  4. ↑ "Mexico coach Javier Aguirre suspended after brawl in Panama match". The Guardian. The Guardian. 12 June 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2010. 
  5. ↑ Lewis, Michael (26 July 2009). "U.S. kicking self after 5–0 blowout loss to Mexico in CONCACAF Gold Cup". New York Daily News. New York Daily News. Retrieved 27 July 2009. 
  6. ↑ "Aguirre quits Mexico job". ESPNsoccernet (ESPN). 30 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-30. 
  7. ↑ (Spanish) Javier Aguirre presentado. realzaragoza.com. 18 November 2010
  8. ↑ (Spanish) La Jornada en Internet: El Real Zaragoza rescinde contrato con Javier Aguirre. Jornada.unam.mx. 29 December 2011. Retrieved on 2011-12-30.
  9. ↑ ""El peor técnico del Mundial después de Raymond Domenech es Javier Aguirre": José Ramón Fernández". 
  10. ↑ "Pequeña teoría sobre Guille y compañía". 
  11. ↑ "Javier Aguirre es un necio y terco: Carlos Albert". 
  12. ↑ "La sordera de nuestro Führer". 

External links

RCD Espanyol – current squad
La Liga managers
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