Miguel Herrera

Lore & Background

As a player, Herrera represented six different clubs in Mexican football. He is primarily remembered for his time at Atlante, where he won a Primera División title, and Toros Neza, where he accumulated more than 100 appearances. On the international stage, he earned 14 caps for the Mexico national team and took part in the 1993 Copa América, where Mexico finished as runners-up. As a manager, Herrera has led seven clubs in Mexico, most notably Club América. Across two separate spells with the team, he guided them to two league championships. On the international stage, he managed Mexico at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and later took charge of Costa Rica's national team.

Reader's Guide

Herrera made his debut in 1985 with Segunda División side Deportivo Neza. Originally a forward, he switched to playing as a defender after his move to Tecos UAG in 1987. Herrera made his debut in the Primera División on May 22, 1988, in a 2–0 victory over Atlas. He was transferred to Santos Laguna in 1988, making 30 appearances and scoring four goals.

He had his first stint with Atlante in 1989, making 36 appearances and scoring four goals before moving to Querétaro in 1990. He again transferred to Atlante in 1991, and won his first league title during the 1992–93 season after defeating Monterrey in the finals by a 4–0 aggregate score after winning the first-leg 1–0 and the second 4–0. He would remain at the club until 1995, making 125 appearances and scoring nine goals. Herrera was then sold to Toros Neza, with whom he would play in his second league final during the "Verano '97" season, ultimately losing to Guadalajara by an aggregate score of 7–2.

In 1999, Herrera returned to Atlante for a third time before officially retiring in 2000. Herrera participated with Mexico's national team in the 1993 Copa América tournament held in Ecuador. Mexico went on to reach the final against Argentina, losing 1–2. Herrera played in all of Mexico's matches during the qualifying stages for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, though he was omitted from the final squad list by coach Miguel Mejía Barón.

In 2002, two years after retiring, Herrera came back to coach his former club Atlante. He would remain manager for two years, but resigned in 2004 after failing to take Atlante to a final. For the Apertura 2004, Herrera was named head coach of Monterrey. He coincidentally faced his former club Atlante in the semifinals, with Monterrey advancing by an aggregate score of 7–3.

He ultimately failed to make Monterrey champions, losing to UNAM in the final by an aggregate score of 3–1. He succeeded in taking Monterrey to another final in the Apertura 2005 tournament, but failed once more, this time losing to Toluca with an aggregate score of 6–3. Herrera would continue to be manager of Monterrey until the Apertura 2007 tournament, where his contract was terminated in September 2007 due to continuous poor form. Prior to the Clausura 2008, Herrera was hired as manager of Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz after the resignation of Antonio Mohamed.