Aguirre’s affectionate ‘push’ to Rafa Márquez

The experienced strategist and former coach of Mexico Javier Aguirre expressed this Friday his support for Rafael Márquez to assume the technical direction of Tri, after having been his second coach during the recent World Cup.

The announcement and the emotional reflections of the Tricolor leaders occurred in the National Auditorium of Mexico Cityin the annual edition of the ‘Mexico Siglo XXI’ meeting, promoted by the Mexican magnate Carlos Slim and organized by the Telmex Telcel Foundation, which was also attended by the legend of the Mexican team, the goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.

He ‘Vasco’ Aguirre confirmed the capacity of his successor to lead this new stage of the sporting project by ensuring with absolute clarity that the former Barcelona footballer “knows the national team perfectly and “It’s going to take us to a good port.” during the next international competitions.

Likewise, the outgoing coach praised the great maturity of the former captain of the Mexican team by highlighting that both as a footballer and assistant coach “he has always shown humility and respect” towards the coaching staff and the players.

Márquez returned the emotional praise to his mentor, defining him before the audience as “a great human being and an extraordinary manager” of locker rooms in moments of maximum pressure, while Aguirre He praised his team by declaring that “these two men have written World Cup history.”

The balance of El Tri after its World Cup victory

When analyzing the path taken by the group during the 2026 World Cup, in which Mexico was one of the organizers along with the United States and Canada, Aguirre stressed that the success “is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm”, a reflection that both Marquez as Ochoa they supported.

Despite Mexico’s elimination against England, Marquez, The next Mexican coach insisted before the thousands of young people present that the real value of the tournament “is not so much the trophy, but the entire path you take to get to it” together with the group of soccer players and stated that this year’s team “was a family.”

The emotional replacement of Ochoa

One of the most talked about moments of Mexico’s participation during the World Cup was the entry to the field of Guillermo Ochoa before the Czech Republic, about which Aguirre He stated: “I didn’t give him anything, “Ochoa deserved to play”to which the goalkeeper responded with a laugh, admitting that after that gesture on the field “I needed to give him a kiss.”

Ochoa came on as a substitute at minute 77 Raul Rangel when Mexico defeated the Czech Republic 3-0, on June 24, 2026, to participate in its sixth World Cup.

Ochoa reflected also about the bitter moments overcome throughout his professional career. “I know what it cost me to be the goalkeeper that I am,” concluding that he is leaving Tri “happy, at peace and knowing that it will be difficult to compare this experience.

With the blessing of the outgoing team and the support of the fans, Mexico thus begins a stage of technical stability with Márquez at the head and aimed at consolidating its new talents on the international scene in the face of the next sporting challenges.