Javier Aguirre brought Mallorca into the game the final of the Copa del Rey against Athletic Club Bilbao. The Mexican will only play his first Spanish tournament final in 19 years.
Aguirre was coach of Osasuna, a team he led to the final against Betis in 2005. In that edition, Osasuna fell 2-1 and it was the only defeat for the Mexican coach at the tournament.
But this time, “El Vasco” puts Mallorca in their fourth final in the Copa del Rey. Aguirre joins Lorenzo Serra Ferrer, Gregorio Manzano and the Argentine Héctor Cúper.
Only one of them was victorious in the final of a tournament with more than 100 years of history. Manzano achieved glory with the Mallorcan victory against Recreativo de Huelva in Elche (2003).
Serra Ferrer and Cúper saw how the trophy eluded them against Atlético de Madrid (1991) and Barcelona (1998), respectively.
Javier Aguirre’s record in Mallorca
With Aguirre on the bench, Mallorca has played 77 games in the highest category of Spanish football; Of them he has won 24, tied 22 and lost 31.
The Mexican coach caught the club on the verge of relegation in the 2021-2022 season, since then he has led it to salvation in two campaigns.
After a dramatic final sprint, Mallorca not only saved the category, but also, in the following season, finished the championship in ninth position with 50 points.
The team has gone 79 games without falling into the relegation zone and, until now, they still have not had three consecutive defeats.
However, this season they are having a hard time putting their foot down with relegation. It is his unfinished business. In the thirtieth matchday, only six points (a total of 31) separate them from a dangerous relegation.
In this season’s Copa del Rey, however, the Mexico City coach’s numbers have been spectacular. After overcoming four rounds against smaller rivals (Boiro, Valle de Egües, Burgos and Tenerife), Mallorca eliminated Girona, the fashionable team this year in First Division, and to Real Sociedad to reach the final of the Copa del Rey tournament.
Keep reading:
– “Vasco” Aguirre rules out third period in charge of the Mexican team and provides full support to Jaime Lozano
– Javier Aguirre admits Athletic’s superiority in the Copa del Rey final: “We are going to fight it”