Aguirre hired by struggling Valencia after latest coaching stint with Mexico at World Cup

By: The Associated Press Posted: 4:51 AM CDT Wednesday, Sep. 23, 2026 Last Modified: 7:28 AM CDT Wednesday, Sep. 23, 2026

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VALENCIA, Spain (AP) — Javier Aguirre will take charge of a seventh different Spanish club after being hired by struggling Valencia on Wednesday, months after coaching his native Mexico at the World Cup.

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The 67-year-old Aguirre’s third stint as Mexico coach ended with a last-16 loss to England in Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

Now he has returned to club coaching in Spain, where he has previously led Osasuna, Atletico Madrid, Real Zaragoza, Espanyol, Leganes and most recently Mallorca from 2022-24.

FILE - Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre gestures during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

Aguirre replaces Carlos Corberán, who was fired on Sept. 13 after Valencia lost four of its first five games in a winless start to the season. He was given a deal until the end of the season.

The team is in next-to-last place in La Liga on four points from seven matches. The club’s B-squad coach, Óscar Sánchez, had been in charge of Valencia since Corberán’s firing.

The hiring completes an early-season reconstruction of Valencia’s soccer operations after its poor start in La Liga. When firing Corberán, Valencia also removed soccer chief executive Ron Gourlay and has since appointed Braulio Vázquez as sporting director.

Owner Peter Lim, a Singaporean businessman, has been long blamed by Valencia fans for the team’s struggles in recent years. They say Lim, who took over in 2014, has been treating the club only as a business.

After a demoralizing 5-0 home loss to Barcelona in the Spanish league this month, a few thousand fans gathered outside the club’s Mestalla stadium and called players “mercenaries.” They also called for Lim and the club president, Kiat Lim, to “go home.”

Valencia hasn’t finished higher than ninth in La Liga since coming fourth in 2017-18 and 2018-19. It was ninth last season.

Valencia said the club has the option to extend Aguirre’s contract for an additional year. The team’s next match is at promoted Racing Santander on Oct. 11.

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