The Mexico national team may soon be in need of a new coach, but fans should take Tigres manager Tuca Ferretti's name off the list.
Ferretti engineered his team's 4-0 victory over Santos Laguna in Sunday's Campeon de Campeones match. Despite that - and more high profile championship wins during his long tenure with the northern Mexico club - the 64-year-old has his mind set only on his current job.
"Since Friday they’ve asked me that question 50,000 times. 50,000 times. It’s something I can’t imagine, honestly," he said in the post-match news conference when asked if he'd coach Mexico. "I’ve got a three-year contract with Tigres. Three years with Tigres. I just started my three-year contract on July 1. I’m thinking about seeing it out."
It's not guaranteed that there will be a vacancy. New Mexican federation president Yon de Luisa took control Monday, and his first order of business is working out an extension with Juan Carlos Osorio or turning his attention elsewhere. If Osorio doesn't stay, De Luisa shouldn't waste his breath asking Ferretti to take over.
Ferretti regularly has stated that the job doesn't interest him. The coach said last season he's planning to retire once he finishes his time with Tigres. The former midfielder is by far the longest-tenured manager with his current Liga MX team, boasting more than eight years in his current stint with Tigres. Toluca manager Hernan Cristante is second with just more than two years leading the Red Devils.
During those eight years, Ferretti has lifted the league title on four occasions along with one Copa MX crown and a trio of Campeon de Campeones victories. Those honors, and the ones he hopes to pick up between now and 2021, are going to be more than enough for the coach.
"I'm going to rest. You're not going to see me again, you're not going to see me anywhere. I don't even want you all to invite me for commentaries or interviews or anything," he said in February. "I'm not going to be saying anything or 'sawing off' parts of others to see if I get a job somewhere."
His lack of interest is consistent with what he said after a brief stint as the interim manager of Mexico when he stepped in to lead El Tri in the 2015 Concacaf Cup. Tuca's Tri beat the United States 3-2 in extra time in a match Ferretti coached after Miguel Herrera was fired following the 2015 Gold Cup for a physical altercation with a commentator.
"It's not for me. I was with them at a World Cup, and it's not the time to fill my ego up as the coach of the national team," he said.
Tigres begin the Liga MX regular season Saturday, hosting Leon.