Miguel Herrera facts for kids
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Herrera as Tijuana manager in 2016
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Miguel Ernesto Herrera Aguirre | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 18 March 1968 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Cuautepec de Hinojosa, Hidalgo, Mexico |
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| Height | 1.70 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defender | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Costa Rica (manager) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1986 | Deportivo Neza | ? | (?) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1988 | UAG | ? | (?) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1989 | Santos Laguna | 30 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | Atlante | 36 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1991 | Querétaro | 30 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1995 | Atlante | 125 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1999 | Toros Neza | 109 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Atlante | 33 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 380 | (21) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1994 | Mexico | 14 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Atlante | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Monterrey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Veracruz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Estudiantes Tecos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Atlante | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | América | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Mexico | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Tijuana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2020 | América | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Tigres UANL | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Tijuana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Costa Rica | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Miguel Ernesto Herrera Aguirre (born March 18, 1968) is a famous Mexican football manager and former player. People often call him "Piojo", which means "louse" in Spanish. He is currently the manager of the Costa Rica national team.
As a player, Herrera was a defender. He started his career in 1985 with a team called Deportivo Neza. He then played for Tecos UAG and made his top-league debut in 1988. He played for Atlante three times and won his only league championship with them in the 1992–93 season. He also played over 100 games for Toros Neza. He stopped playing professionally in 2000 with Atlante. Herrera also played for the Mexican national team 14 times. He helped Mexico reach second place in the 1993 Copa América tournament.
As a manager, Herrera has coached many teams. He led Monterrey to two finals in 2004 and 2005. He also coached Club América and won his first league championship with them in 2013. In 2018, he won another Liga MX title during his second time managing Club América. In 2013, he became the temporary coach for the Mexico national team. He helped them qualify for the 2014 World Cup. He later led Mexico to win the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Contents
- Playing Career Highlights
- International Games for Mexico
- Managerial Journey
- First Time at Atlante
- Coaching Monterrey
- Managing Veracruz and Estudiantes Tecos
- Back to Atlante (Second Time)
- Success with Club América
- Coaching the Mexico National Team
- Return to Club Tijuana
- Back to Club América (Second Time)
- Coaching Tigres UANL
- Third Time at Club Tijuana
- New Role with Costa Rica
- Managerial Style
- Managerial Statistics
- Awards and Achievements
- Images for kids
- See also
Playing Career Highlights
Miguel Herrera started his football journey in 1985 with Deportivo Neza. He began as a forward but later became a defender when he joined Tecos UAG in 1987. His first game in Mexico's top league, the Primera División, was on May 22, 1988. His team won 2–0 against Atlas.
He played for Santos Laguna in 1988, appearing in 30 games and scoring four goals. In 1989, he joined Atlante for the first time. He played 36 games and scored four goals before moving to Querétaro in 1990.
Winning a League Title
Herrera returned to Atlante in 1991. He helped the team win their first league title in the 1992–93 season. They beat Monterrey 4–0 in the finals. He stayed with Atlante until 1995, playing 125 games and scoring nine goals.
After Atlante, he played for Toros Neza. He reached another league final with them in 1997 but lost to Guadalajara. In 1999, Herrera went back to Atlante for a third time. He officially retired from playing football in 2000.
International Games for Mexico
Miguel Herrera played for the Mexican national team in the 1993 Copa América tournament. This big competition was held in Ecuador. Mexico did very well and reached the final game. They played against Argentina but lost 1–2.
Herrera also played in all of Mexico's qualifying matches for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. However, the coach, Miguel Mejía Barón, did not choose him for the final World Cup squad.
Managerial Journey
Two years after he stopped playing, Miguel Herrera became a manager.
First Time at Atlante
In 2002, Herrera returned to coach his old club, Atlante. He managed the team for two years. He left in 2004 because he couldn't lead Atlante to a final game.
Coaching Monterrey
For the Apertura 2004 season, Herrera became the head coach of Monterrey. He faced his former team, Atlante, in the semifinals and won. However, he lost in the final to UNAM. He led Monterrey to another final in 2005 but lost again, this time to Toluca. Herrera continued to manage Monterrey until September 2007. His contract ended because the team was not playing well.
Managing Veracruz and Estudiantes Tecos
Before the Clausura 2008 season, Herrera was hired to manage Veracruz. He helped them win a big game against Club América 4–0. His main goal was to stop Veracruz from being moved down to a lower league, but the team was still relegated. Herrera left the club in May 2008.
Soon after, Herrera took over Estudiantes Tecos in 2008. He was fired on September 6, 2010, after Tecos lost a league match 0–3 to Guadalajara.
Back to Atlante (Second Time)
In November 2010, Herrera was announced as the new manager for Atlante again. In the Clausura 2011 season, Atlante finished fourth. However, they were knocked out of the playoffs by Cruz Azul. Atlante did not make it to the playoffs in the Apertura 2011 season. Herrera decided not to renew his contract with the club.
Success with Club América
On November 16, 2011, Herrera officially became the manager of Club América. He signed a six-month contract, saying he would leave if he didn't get good results. His first win with América was a 2–0 victory over Querétaro on January 7, 2012. América finished third in the Clausura season but lost in the semifinals.
Winning His First League Title
On May 26, 2013, América won their eleventh league title in a very exciting final. They beat Cruz Azul 4–2 in a penalty shootout. This happened after they came back from being 0–1 down in the first game and tied the score 2–2. They even played most of the second game with only ten players. This was Herrera's first championship as a manager.
In the next season, Herrera led América to another league final after they finished first in the regular season. However, they lost to León. During this time, Herrera was also named the temporary coach for the Mexico national team.
Coaching the Mexico National Team
On October 18, 2013, Miguel Herrera became the temporary head coach of the Mexico national team. He was the fourth coach for the team in just one month! He successfully led Mexico to win 9–3 against New Zealand in a special playoff. This win helped Mexico qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. On December 2, it was announced that Herrera would stay as the national team coach for the World Cup.
At the World Cup, Mexico finished second in their group with 7 points. They won against Cameroon and Croatia, and had a scoreless tie against the host nation, Brazil. In the round-of-16, Mexico played against the Netherlands. Mexico was eliminated after losing 2–1 in a game that had some controversial moments. On December 3, Herrera's contract with the national team was extended.
Mexico did not get past the group stage in the 2015 Copa América. However, on July 26, 2015, Mexico won the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. They beat Jamaica 3–1 in the final. Two days later, Herrera was removed as coach of the Mexico national team. This happened after an incident with a journalist who had been critical of him.
Return to Club Tijuana
On November 2, 2015, Herrera became the manager of Club Tijuana. He coached the team until May 2017, leading them to the playoffs twice.
Back to Club América (Second Time)
On May 26, 2017, Club América announced that Herrera was their new manager again. He lost his first official game back, a 1–2 defeat to Querétaro. Six days later, América lost to Querétaro again. However, the next week, Herrera won his first league match in his second time with América, beating Pachuca 2–0.
More Championships with América
Herrera led América to a third-place finish in the Apertura season. They were eliminated in the semifinals by Tigres UANL. América also lost in the semifinals of the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League. In the next season, América finished second but lost in the semifinals again.
In the 2018 Apertura season, Herrera led América to another second-place finish. They only lost two games during the regular season and did not lose any games in the playoffs. On December 16, Herrera won his second league title with Club América. They beat Cruz Azul 2–0 in the finals. His team also had a 17-game unbeaten streak, matching a club record.
On February 5, 2019, Herrera reached 100 wins as manager of Club América. He was only the third manager in the club's history to do so. On April 11, América won the Clausura final of the Copa MX, beating FC Juárez 1–0. This was Herrera's first cup title and his third overall title with Club América.
On December 21, 2020, Herrera was let go from his job after the club was knocked out of the CONCACAF Champions League.
Coaching Tigres UANL
On May 20, 2021, Herrera was named the manager of Tigres UANL. He replaced Ricardo Ferretti. On November 9, 2022, Herrera was dismissed from his role at Tigres.
Third Time at Club Tijuana
On February 10, 2023, Club Tijuana announced that Herrera was their new manager again. On April 30, 2024, Tijuana and Herrera decided to go their separate ways.
New Role with Costa Rica
On January 7, 2025, the Costa Rican Football Federation announced that Miguel Herrera would be the new manager of their national team.
Managerial Style
Miguel Herrera is known for a style of play called "Lavolpista." This means he follows the ideas of coach Ricardo La Volpe. However, Herrera says he also uses ideas from other coaches he has worked with. Many coaches with this style use a 5–3–2 formation with fast players called wing-backs. Some people have criticized Herrera's style for being very offensive and direct, which can sometimes leave the defense open to attacks. When he coached the Mexico national team, he brought this formation from Club América to the national level.
Managerial Statistics
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Atlante |  |
20 February 2002 | 30 May 2004 | 97 | 38 | 31 | 28 | 39.18 |
| Monterrey | 2 June 2004 | 26 September 2007 | 127 | 51 | 32 | 44 | 40.16 | |
| Veracruz | 30 January 2008 | 3 May 2008 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 26.67 | |
| Estudiantes Tecos | 2 September 2008 | 6 September 2010 | 80 | 25 | 21 | 34 | 31.25 | |
| Atlante | 23 November 2010 | 15 November 2011 | 36 | 13 | 8 | 15 | 36.11 | |
| América | 16 November 2011 | 15 December 2013 | 102 | 55 | 23 | 24 | 53.92 | |
| Mexico | 18 October 2013 | 28 July 2015 | 36 | 19 | 10 | 7 | 52.78 | |
| Tijuana | 2 November 2015 | 21 May 2017 | 74 | 33 | 18 | 23 | 44.59 | |
| América | 30 May 2017 | 21 December 2020 | 175 | 87 | 43 | 45 | 49.71 | |
| Tigres UANL | 20 May 2021 | 9 November 2022 | 63 | 32 | 13 | 18 | 50.79 | |
| Tijuana | 10 February 2023 | 30 April 2024 | 47 | 10 | 13 | 24 | 21.28 | |
| Costa Rica |  |
7 January 2025 | present | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Total | 853 | 367 | 217 | 269 | 43.02 | |||
Awards and Achievements
Miguel Herrera has won many awards and titles both as a player and as a manager.
As a Player
Atlante
- Mexican Primera División: 1992–93 (He won the top league title with Atlante.)
As a Manager
América
- Liga MX: Clausura 2013, Apertura 2018 (He won the Mexican league championship twice with América.)
- Copa MX: Clausura 2019 (He won a cup competition with América.)
- Campeón de Campeones: 2019 (He won a super cup with América.)
Mexico National Team
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2015 (He led the Mexican national team to win this important regional tournament.)
Individual Awards
- Mexican Primera División Best Manager: Apertura 2002
- CONCACAF Men's Football Coach of the Year: He was recognized as one of the best coaches in the CONCACAF region in 2013 (2nd place) and 2015 (3rd place).
- The Best of America Best Liga MX Manager: 2019
Images for kids
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Herrera with former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto in 2014.
See also
In Spanish: Miguel Herrera para niños
