Earlier this week it was announced that former Mexican player Andres Guardado has embarked on his coaching journey with Real Betis youth academy. This news has given hope to Mexico fans everywhere who
have been worried about Mexico’s future. With Rafa Marquez just beginning his journey as a coach for the national team, the addition of Guardado can help a team that has so much potential that has yet to live up to it.
Andres Guardado, or ‘El Principito’ as he was named, started his professional career with Atlas after spending his youth with the club. After just two years as a professional he made the move to Europe to play with Deportivo, a first-division team at the time. During his five years with the club he made his 100th LaLiga appearance, the third Mexican to achieve this milestone right after Hugo Sanchez and Rafa Marquez. Two years after this milestone he left the club to join Valencia. His time with the club was not the best as he was loaned out two times. Once to Bayer Leverkusen, where he saw less than 10 appearances, and another to PSV. His time with the German team was only half a season but the loan with PSV was successful. The fans immediately fell in love with the ‘Principito’ and hoped that his loan spell would become permanent and it did in March 2015. His time with PSV was only two years but he did secure four titles with the team and was one of the most beloved players on the team by the fans.
‘Principito’ made his way back to Spain, this time to play for Real Betis. While playing in LaLiga for seven seasons he broke a few records that were once set by fellow Mexican internationals. In the 2020/2021 season he started his 14th season in Europe, surpassing Hugo Sanchez who was at 13 years. Two years later he broke another one of Sanchez’s records when he made his 496th appearance with Betis, breaking the most appearances in Europe by a Mexican player. Later that same season he helped the team win the Copa del Rey. Then in the first half of the 2023/2024 season, Guardado played his last game with Real Betis as he and the club parted ways.
Guardado then headed back to Mexico to play with Club Léon. His return to Liga MX was a short one as he announced his retirement at the end of 2024. He un-retired months later so he could play in the FIFA Club World Cup but the club was disqualified from the competition which forced him to retire again at the end of the season.
Since his retirement earlier this summer many wondered what exactly Guardado was going to do. Would he want to coach in the future or would he walk away from football completely? Then five months after his retirement Mexico fans were given the positive news that he would start his coaching journey. Real Betis youth academy was more than happy to announce that their ‘Principito’ would start his journey in their youth academy. His decision to start his career in Europe sparked some questions, most notably why did he choose Real Betis specifically? He could have gone to Atlas, his boyhood club, or to Léon who would have been happy to give an opportunity to their newly retired player. There’s even a chance that Guardado could have gone to a few clubs in Liga MX but he decided to leave Mexico instead. Honestly, this decision was a smart move.
As many are aware, the current state of Mexican football is not at its best. That is because the FMF has been criticized to value money over the development of its players. There currently is no promotion/relegation in Liga MX but that will change soon, or it’s supposed to change but we will see if that day comes. The FMF also has strengthened their relationship with MLS/U.S.Soccer instead of trying to form relationships with CONMEBOL or even European teams. The reason for that is because there is a lot of money to be made in the United States as it has been proven again and again that the Mexico fans in the U.S. will buy anything and everything Mexican football even if it’s not for the betterment of the league/national team. Which is also ironic that the fans who criticize the FMF are the first ones to buy tickets to games in the U.S.
Guardado’s decision to jump immediately into coaching follows the similar path that Rafa Marquez followed after his retirement. Following his retirement, Marquez was named Atlas’ sporting director and he remained with the club until 2019. A year later he made the move to Spain to coach the youth team for RSD Alcalá. Then in 2022 he was named the head coach for Barcelona Atlètic and extended his contract in 2023. The extension didn’t last long as it was announced a year later that Maquez had been offered a position with Mexico’s coaching staff and he did not hesitate to accept the position. A big draw for that was the FMF designating Marquez as the future for the 2030 World Cup. Was it a smart decision for Marquez to accept this position when he hadn’t had many years of experience as a coach? Maybe or maybe not but many who criticized his decision point to the current form of Mexico to state that he should’ve waited. Will Guardado take this same path?
Since Andres Guardado just started his career as a coach it’s too early to tell what will happen closer to the 2030 World Cup. It’s not likely that Javier Aguirre will remain with Mexico during that time so Marquez will need help and maybe the FMF will go after Guardado. It’s a decision that many Mexico fans see as the best one but it’s best not to rush these kinds of things as the past has shown that not all former players are meant to become coaches. However, it’s a positive note to see Guardado start his coaching career in Europe where he will be able to learn from the best of the best.
