Diego Cocca Assumes the Position of Director of the Mexican National Team
The Argentine took on the biggest challenge of his career as a coach. He was champion with Atlas along with Anderson Santamaría
Diego Cocca is presented this Friday as the new coach of the Mexican national team to lead the process towards the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
"Diego Cocca was chosen, and we are convinced that it was a good decision and that we will succeed with Diego at the helm. He is a hardworking man, a great strategist," said Rodrigo Ares de Parga, executive director of national teams for the Mexican Football Federation (FMF).
In a press conference at the High Performance Center of the FMF, in the south of Mexico City, Ares de Parga detailed that five candidates were interviewed in the process of choosing the new coach for the national team.
The main requirements fulfilled by Cocca were: knowledge of Mexican football, knowledge of the characteristics of Mexican players, appropriate group management, and experience and achievements.
One day before his 51st birthday, Diego Cocca takes charge of the national team surrounded by controversy for having accepted the position unexpectedly, according to Tigres, whom he only coached in five matches of the Clausura-2023 tournament and was dismissed as their coach on Thursday.
"It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up," said Cocca, who understood Tigres' discomfort with his sudden departure.
For Cocca, taking command of the Mexican national team is just another chapter in a relationship with Mexico that began as a player for Atlas, Veracruz, and Querétaro and continued as a coach with Santos, Tijuana, Atlas - the team with which he won two leagues and a Champion of Champions title - and Tigres.
"I feel happy, proud, and privileged to be the coach of the national team of this country that has given me so much. This country opened its doors to me as a player, it made me grow as a person, and it welcomed me again as a coach. I am very grateful," said Cocca.
Supported by his experience in Mexican football, where he discovered his vocation as a coach thanks to Ricardo La Volpe, Cocca emphasized that "I know the Mexican player since I was a player myself and now as a coach. I understand how they think very well. The Mexican player is noble and has great potential for growth; they need support. If they bring out all their talent and put it at the service of the team, we can have a very good team."
Among the offerings made by Cocca in his presentation is constant interaction with the players and executives of the 18 teams in the first division and opportunities for all Mexican players by birth or naturalization.
Cocca is committed to the generational transition of the national team, but he does not rule out veteran players like goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa (37 years old) or midfielder Héctor Herrera (32 years old).
"Age does not concern me; commitment does," said Cocca, who established that the first requirement for his call-ups is, "we will identify the player who feels privileged to be with the Mexican national team and sing the anthem."
Throughout his career as a coach, Diego Cocca has instilled aggressiveness in his teams to regain possession of the ball and, once they have it, look for and take advantage of spaces. This style has been questioned in Mexico.
In response to criticism of his way of understanding football, Cocca acknowledged, "there will always be criticism and different tastes. I understand that the national team needs to have a team that the people identify with. We will work with the goal of convincing everyone... I dream of going to a World Cup with the people happy, filling stadiums."
Cocca's first commitments as coach of Mexico will be in March against Suriname and Jamaica for the Concacaf Nations League, a tournament that fans hope he will win in June, along with the Gold Cup in July.
Regarding the demand to win these titles in the first months of his tenure, Cocca pointed out, "I don't see it as pressure. I am the coach of the Mexican national team, and we have to win even in informal matches. We want to transmit a winning mentality. With time and work, we will find a Mexican national team that will go out to win every game."
His coaching staff includes assistant coach Marcelo Goux, physical trainers Javier Bustos and Renso Valinoti, as well as Ignacio Laurino, selection of images and video editing.
Born in Buenos Aires on February 11, 1972, Diego Cocca is the 45th coach in the history of the Mexican national team (including five interims and one substitute) since 1923, and the fifth of Argentine nationality.