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Aguirre endorses Márquez as Mexico coach: “He will steer us to a safe harbor”

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency New plan
  • Former Mexico coach Javier Aguirre backed Rafael Márquez to lead the national team, saying the former Barcelona player knows the squad and can guide it through upcoming international competitions.
  • Márquez praised Aguirre’s leadership, while Guillermo Ochoa reflected on his Mexico career and sixth World Cup appearance.
  • The comments came at the Mexico Siglo XXI gathering in Mexico City after Mexico’s elimination by England at the 2026 World Cup.

Javier Aguirre has given Rafael Márquez his full backing as the next coach of Mexico, saying his former assistant knows the national team inside out and can guide it through the challenges ahead.

knows the national team perfectly and will steer us to a safe harbor

· Javier AguirreAguirre endorsed Rafael Márquez as Mexico’s next coach.

Speaking at the annual Mexico Siglo XXI gathering in Mexico City, Aguirre praised Márquez’s maturity and humility. Márquez had served as his assistant during the recent World Cup. Aguirre said the former Barcelona player “knows the national team perfectly and will steer us to a safe harbor” in the coming international competitions.

Márquez returned the compliment, calling Aguirre “a great human being and an extraordinary manager” of dressing rooms during moments of intense pressure. Aguirre also praised Márquez and Ochoa, saying the two men had written history at the World Cup. The event was promoted by Carlos Slim and organized by the Telmex Telcel Foundation, with Mexico goalkeeping legend Guillermo Ochoa also attending.

always showed humility and respect

· Javier AguirreAguirre described Márquez’s conduct as both a player and assistant coach.

Mexico, which co-hosted the 2026 World Cup with the United States and Canada, was eliminated by England. Aguirre described success as moving “from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm,” a view supported by Márquez and Ochoa. Márquez said the value of a tournament was not only the trophy, but also the journey made with the players, adding that this year’s team “was a family.”

a great human being and an extraordinary manager

· Rafael MárquezMárquez praised Aguirre’s leadership in the Mexico dressing room.

Aguirre also discussed Ochoa’s appearance against the Czech Republic. Ochoa entered in the 77th minute, with Mexico leading 3-0, to take part in his sixth World Cup. Aguirre said, “I didn’t give him anything, Ochoa deserved to play.” Ochoa joked that after the gesture, “I should have given him a kiss.” Reflecting on his career, Ochoa said he knew what it had cost him to become the goalkeeper he was and that he was retiring from the national team “happy, at peace and knowing that this experience will be difficult to compare.”

I didn’t give him anything, Ochoa deserved to play

· Javier AguirreAguirre explained why he brought Guillermo Ochoa into Mexico’s World Cup match against the Czech Republic.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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