Javier Aguirre is returning to Spain rather than stepping away from the touchline after the 2026 World Cup, taking on Valencia’s urgent fight at the lower end of LaLiga. The Mexican coach left Mexico City on Wednesday with the task clear: lift a club sitting second from bottom and give his long Spanish chapter what he hopes will be a fitting final passage.
Key takeaways
- Aguirre turned down four approaches from clubs in different countries, including one from Mexico, before accepting Valencia’s call.
- The 2026 World Cup will be his final tournament in charge of Mexico’s national team.
- Valencia have collected four points and occupy the penultimate place in the LaLiga table.
- His first competitive fixture is scheduled for Sunday, 11 October, away to Racing de Santander.
- Aguirre has previously handled relegation battles with Osasuna, Espanyol, Real Zaragoza and Mallorca.
A Spanish return shaped by family and experience
Speaking before departing from Mexico City International Airport, Aguirre said retirement had been a genuine possibility after his national-team work. Valencia’s swift approach changed that calculation, with an agreement reached almost immediately once the club made contact.
The 67-year-old did not identify the Mexican opportunity he declined, nor confirm whether it involved a Liga MX side or a different role. He did, however, explain that Valencia were not alone in making an offer.
“We were in a kind of limbo, wondering whether to call it a day,” Aguirre said. “We had said no to four job offers from different countries, including Mexico. But we chose this one because we have spent many years in Spain, we have deep roots there, my children stayed there and I had 15 seasons there. It will be a good ending to my career.”
For Aguirre, the move reconnects him with a country where he has accumulated extensive managerial experience. He described Valencia’s squad as strong and said his familiarity with both the players and the city made the assignment especially appealing.
“I am enthusiastic, as always, eager to help and work,” he said. “Everything came together this time. I did not have a team, they called me and we settled it in five minutes. It is a very good squad; I know them all, I know the place from my years in Spain, and it will be a very nice challenge.”
October debut in a direct survival contest
The immediate concern is Valencia’s league position. With only four points, the club are second from last, making their next stretch of fixtures central to the battle to remain in the division.
Aguirre has navigated this territory before. He has led Osasuna, Espanyol, Real Zaragoza and Mallorca through comparable survival campaigns in Spain. His lone unsuccessful escape came with Leganés, who went down in 2020.
The September international break gives him roughly two weeks on the training ground before his first official match. Valencia travel to Racing de Santander for LaLiga matchday eight on Sunday 11 October, kicking off at 13:00 Mexico City time.
It is an early fixture with direct consequences at the foot of the table: Racing are currently outside the relegation positions, three points ahead of Valencia. Aguirre arrives with little time, but with a career’s worth of experience in precisely this kind of Spanish autumn.
