MEXICO CITY: Veteran Mexican coach Javier Aguirre was brought back as national football manager on Monday in an attempt to revive the team’s 2026 World Cup hopes.

Aguirre replaces Jaime Lozano, who was dropped last week after rejecting a proposal by the football federation that included a demotion for the international tournament, which Mexico will co-host.

“We’re very pleased to announce the arrival of Javier ‘El Vasco’ Aguirre as technical director of the national team,” federation official Duilio Davino said in a video published on social media.

Legendary former player Rafael Marquez will be Aguirre’s assistant, in a further effort to boost Mexico’s chances at the 2026 World Cup, which it will jointly stage with the United States and Canada.

“Both are undisputed leaders with distinct personal styles,” said Davino. “Aguirre is characterized by being a leader who guides and convinces his players and coaching staff through his vision and by creating bonds with his team. Rafa leads by example, supported by the fact that he was a high-performance footballer in Mexico and Europe.”

Aguirre, 65, coached Mexico at the 2002 and 2010 World Cups, where they reached the second round on both occasions.

He guided Mexico to 38 wins, 12 losses and 11 draws in his previous two coaching stints, a national team record for a manager in charge for at least 34 matches.

He has also coached the Japanese and Egyptian national teams, as well as a string of Spanish clubs including Atletico Madrid, Espanyol and Real Mallorca.

The Mexican federation said last week that it had offered a new contract to Lozano through 2030 that included him working under a “more experienced” coach from 2024-2026.

Under the deal, Lozano would have returned as head coach at some point between 2026 and 2030, but the federation said that he had decided to leave instead.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2024