Javier Aguirre facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Javier Aguirre

Aguirre as Atlético 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(s)	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 Men's football Representing  Mexico (as manager) Copa América Runner-up 2001 Colombia CONCACAF Gold Cup Winner 2009 United States
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Javier Aguirre Onaindía (born 1 December 1958) is a Mexican football manager and former player. He was a midfielder during his playing days. People often call him El Vasco, which means "The Basque". This nickname comes from his parents' background. Currently, he is the manager of the Mexico national team.

Aguirre played for Mexico in the 1986 World Cup. He has managed the Mexican team three times, leading them to the World Cup in 2002 and 2010. He also helped them win the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup and reach the final of the 2001 Copa América. Later, he managed the national teams of Japan and Egypt.

As a club manager, Aguirre has led six teams in Spain's top league, La Liga. He helped Osasuna finish fourth in 2006 and Atlético Madrid in 2008. He also took Atlético and Mallorca to the finals of the Copa del Rey cup competition. In 2021, he won the CONCACAF Champions League with Monterrey.

Javier Aguirre's Early Life

Javier Aguirre was born in Mexico City on December 1, 1958. His parents were from the Basque Country in Spain. They moved to Mexico in 1950. His mother was from Guernica, and his father was from Ispaster. Because of his parents' background, Javier was nicknamed El Vasco. He also got a Spanish passport, which helped his football career. He gave his three sons Basque names: Iker, Ander, and Iñaki.

Javier Aguirre's Playing Career

Playing for Clubs

Aguirre started his football journey in the youth academy of Club América. He made his first professional appearance in 1979. After a short time with the Los Angeles Aztecs, he returned to Club América. He helped them win the championship in the 1983–84 season. He even scored a goal in the final game.

After that, he played for Atlante for two years. Then, he moved to Spain to play for Osasuna. In 1987, Aguirre came back to Mexico. He joined Guadalajara and played over 100 games for them. He retired from playing football in 1993.

Playing for Mexico's National Team

Javier Aguirre played 59 games for the Mexico national team. This was between 1983 and 1992. He scored 13 goals for his country. He played in the FIFA World Cup in 1986, which was held in Mexico. In a quarter-final match against West Germany, he was sent off the field. This game ended in a 0–0 tie and went to penalty kicks. He was the first Mexican player to be sent off in a World Cup match.

Javier Aguirre's Managerial Career

Starting as a Manager

After he stopped playing, Aguirre became a football manager. He first managed Atlante. Then, he moved to Pachuca. There, he won his first title as a manager. This was the Invierno 1999 championship.

First Time Managing Mexico

On June 22, 2001, Aguirre became the manager of the Mexico national team. The team was struggling in their World Cup qualifying group. In his first game, Mexico beat the United States 1–0. Mexico then qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

In July 2001, Aguirre led Mexico in the 2001 Copa América in Colombia. They beat strong teams like Brazil and Uruguay. They reached the final but lost 1–0 to the host team, Colombia. A year later, at the 2002 World Cup, his team won their group. However, they lost 2–0 to the US in the Round of 16.

Managing Osasuna in Spain

On June 6, 2002, while still at the World Cup, Aguirre joined La Liga club Osasuna. He had played for this club before. In his first season, the team reached the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey cup.

In the 2004–05 season, Aguirre led Osasuna to the cup final. They lost 2–1 after extra time to Real Betis. In the next league season, Osasuna finished in a strong fourth place. This earned them their first chance to play in the UEFA Champions League.

Managing Atlético Madrid

On May 24, 2006, Aguirre signed a contract to manage Atlético Madrid. In 2008, his team finished fourth in the league. This meant they qualified for the Champions League. He extended his contract for another year.

However, Aguirre was let go from Atlético Madrid on February 2, 2009. This happened after the team had a difficult period, earning only two points from five games.

Second Time Managing Mexico

On April 3, 2009, Aguirre was officially named the new manager of the Mexico national team again. He said he was there to help the team and bring back their winning spirit. His annual salary was reported to be US$1,635,000.

His first game back was a 2–1 loss to El Salvador. But four days later, they won 2–1 against Trinidad and Tobago.

On July 9, 2009, during a 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup match, Aguirre had an incident with a player from Panama. He was suspended for three games. The Mexican Football Federation was also fined.

On July 26, 2009, Aguirre led Mexico to win their fifth Gold Cup title. They beat the United States in the final. He then led Mexico to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

On June 30, 2010, Aguirre resigned as Mexico's coach. This was after they did not reach the quarter-finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Mexico finished second in their group. But they lost 3–1 to Argentina in the Round of 16.

Some people criticized Aguirre's decisions during the World Cup. They questioned why he played certain players over others.

Managing Real Zaragoza and Espanyol

On November 17, 2010, Aguirre became the manager of Real Zaragoza. He was dismissed on December 29, 2011, as the club was in the relegation zone.

Aguirre managing Espanyol in December 2013

On November 28, 2012, Aguirre was named manager of Espanyol. The team was in last place in La Liga. He helped them avoid relegation in the 2013–14 season. Aguirre announced he was leaving Espanyol on May 16, 2014.

Managing Japan and Al Wahda

In August 2014, Aguirre became the new manager of the Japan national team. At the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, Japan won all their group matches. However, they were knocked out in the quarter-finals. On February 3, 2015, Japan ended Aguirre's contract.

On June 18, 2015, Aguirre was hired as the new manager of Al-Wahda FC in the United Arab Emirates. On May 21, 2017, he stepped down after leading Al Wahda to win the President's Cup.

Managing Egypt and Leganés

In August 2018, Aguirre was appointed manager of the Egyptian national team. During the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt was eliminated in the Round of 16. Because of this, Aguirre was let go.

In November 2019, Aguirre returned to La Liga to manage Leganés. In July 2020, he stepped down after the club was relegated on the final day of the season.

Managing Monterrey and Mallorca

In December 2020, Aguirre returned to Liga MX in Mexico. He signed a two-year deal with Monterrey. On February 26, 2022, he was dismissed after some disappointing results.

On March 24, 2022, Aguirre returned to La Liga again. He joined Mallorca, who were close to the relegation zone. He managed to keep the team in the league on the final day.

Aguirre led Mallorca to the 2024 Copa del Rey final. They lost on penalty kicks to Athletic Bilbao after a 1–1 draw. On May 22, 2024, Aguirre and Mallorca went their separate ways.

Third Time Managing Mexico

On July 22, 2024, the Mexican Football Federation announced Aguirre as the new manager of the national team for the third time.

In November 2024, Aguirre was hit by a beer can after a game. He was injured, but he focused on congratulating the winning team. The Mexican Football Federation and FIFA President Gianni Infantino spoke out against the attack. They called for an investigation into the incident.

Javier Aguirre's Managerial Statistics

Javier Aguirre's Achievements

As a Player

América

• Mexican Primera División: 1983–84

As a 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
• Copa América runner-up: 2001

Images for kids

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  Aguirre as Atlético Madrid manager in 2007

See also

In Spanish: Javier Aguirre para niños