Aguirre apologises to Gordon for World Cup expletive and asks him to sign a photo

Javier Aguirre has apologised to Anthony Gordon for swearing at him during England’s 3-2 victory over Mexico at the 2026 World Cup, with the former Mexico manager using his unveiling as Valencia head coach to address the widely-shared incident.

Aguirre, who stepped down as Mexico boss after the tournament, approached Gordon during the heated group-stage fixture and said “F*** you” to the England winger, before both men walked away smiling. Gordon later said he was not offended, and Aguirre has now offered a fuller explanation.

“It was a silly thing, a spur-of-the-moment reaction in the heat of the World Cup,” Aguirre said. “These things happen, and I’m not dwelling on it anymore.” He added that Gordon approached him “very warmly” after the exchange.

Gordon, who has since moved to Barcelona, reflected on the moment with similar lightness. “I remembered it. With all the heat and tension around the game, it was a bit of fun,” he said. “I’d just run the full-back down the line, so it was a bit of a compliment from him. That’s how I took it anyway.”

The story has taken an unexpected twist ahead of Valencia’s trip to Camp Nou in January 2027. Aguirre revealed he intends to ask Gordon to sign a photograph of the incident. “There’s a really nice photo. I might actually ask him to sign it, you know, for my kids. Yeah, it’s a nice photo, really nice. The guy speaks Spanish well, by the way,” the 67-year-old said.

Aguirre, who takes over at Valencia from Carlos Corberan, spoke ambitiously about restoring the club’s standing in Spanish football. “You can’t say no to Valencia. It is a historic club in LaLiga and world football, with an incredible fanbase,” he said. “I want Mestalla to be an imposing stadium for visiting teams, and for the club to return to where it belongs.”