Javier Aguirre has offered Anthony Gordon a personal apology for his X-rated outburst during Mexico's defeat by England at the World Cup. The former Newcastle winger got on the wrong side of the ex-Mexico boss during their intense last-16 clash, which England won 3-2, with Aguirre shouting, 'F*** you' at Gordon.
Incident made headlines
The incident made headlines across the globe, with the former Magpie coming out to say he was not offended by the remark and instead took it as a "compliment."
Aguirre was recently named Valencia's new boss and used his unveiling to apologise to Gordon. He said: "It was a silly thing, a spur-of-the-moment reaction in the heat of the World Cup. These things happen, and I'm not dwelling on it anymore."
La Liga reunion
He added that Gordon approached him "very warmly" following the incident and that he looks forward to facing the winger in La Liga. Gordon joined Barcelona in the summer, and his side welcome Valencia to Camp Nou in January.
Ahead of the match, Aguirre said: "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."
Gordon's reaction
Gordon recalls the moment with affection, admitting he took Aguirre's words as praise. He said: "I remembered it. With all the heat and tension around the game, it was a bit of fun. 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."
After the 2026 World Cup, Aguirre resigned as Mexico manager and has now returned to Spain to take charge of Valencia. Replacing Carlos Corberan, the 67-year-old has vowed to restore the club to its former heights.
"You can't say no to Valencia. It is a historic club in LaLiga and world football, with an incredible fanbase," he said. "I've come here as an opponent, and it's intimidating. I want Mestalla to be an imposing stadium for visiting teams, and for the club to return to where it belongs."
