Efraín Juárez

Efraín Juárez Valdez is a Mexican professional football manager and former player. He is the current head coach of Liga MX club Pumas UNAM.

Club career

Early career

Juárez joined UNAM at the age of thirteen. Following Mexico's triumph at the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship, he was signed by Barcelona alongside teammate Jorge Hernández. Limited playing time with Barcelona B led him back to Pumas, where he continued his development until coach Ricardo Ferretti promoted him to the first team. Juárez soon became a regular starter, and in the Clausura 2009 tournament, he helped Pumas secure the league title with a victory over Pachuca in the final.

Celtic

On 17 July 2010, Pumas accepted a bid for Juárez from Scottish Premier League club Celtic. On 26 July a £2 million transfer was agreed and Juárez signed a four-year contract with The Hoops, making him the first ever Mexican player to play in the SPL. Juárez made his Celtic debut in a 3–0 Champions League defeat away to Braga. He scored his first goal for the club in the return fixture at Celtic Park with a header. He then scored his second goal, again at Celtic Park, in a Europa League qualifying first leg match against Utrecht two weeks later. Juárez was close to agreeing a loan move to Serie A side Brescia Calcio in the January 2011 transfer window but the deal fell through. He had fallen out of favour with the first team and his agent admitted that Juárez would need to move on in the summer of 2011 in order to play first team football.

Real Zaragoza (loan)

On 26 July 2011, after weeks of speculation, Juárez was loaned out to La Liga side Real Zaragoza, where he was reunited with former Mexico national team coach Javier Aguirre. He made his debut for Zaragoza in a 6–0 loss against Real Madrid. He then scored his first goal for the club in a 4–3 defeat to Real Betis.

América

On 5 June 2012 it was announced that Juárez had transferred to Club América in Mexico for an undisclosed fee, after failing to cement his place in the starting line-up for Celtic, and after his disappointing stint for Real Zaragoza. He made his first appearance for América on 27 June in a 0–2 preseason loss against Jaguares. He made his league debut on 21 July in a 0–0 draw against Monterrey. On 22 August 2012, Juárez suffered a terrible arm injury during a cup game against Correcaminos in the 39th minute which he had to miss a few months.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Juárez signed with Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer on 18 January 2018. On 1 February 2019, Juárez and Vancouver mutually agreed to part ways.

International career

On 28 June 2009, Juárez made his first international cap with the senior national team against Guatemala. He played a part of the team that won the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. In the Gold Cup, he mainly played at right back. He started and completed all games played in the competition. Thanks to his great performance, he quickly gained a spot on the national team. Juárez scored for Mexico against Costa Rica during a penalty shootout.
On 11 June 2010, Juárez became the first player to be booked at the 2010 World Cup in Mexico's opening match against South Africa. He also played in Mexico's 2–0 victory over France on 17 June, when he was replaced by Javier Hernández on 55 minutes, who later himself went on to score.
On 22 September 2010, it was announced that Juárez and Mexico teammate Carlos Vela were banned from international duty for six months for their involvement in a party in Monterrey following a game with Colombia two weeks earlier.
Juárez scored his first national team goal in the 5–0 win against El Salvador in the opening match of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup on 5 June.

Managerial career

Early career

Following his retirement as a footballer, Juárez assumed the role of technical assistant within the staff of Ronny Deila. He held this position at New York City FC, Standard Liège and Club Brugge.

Atlético Nacional

On 28 August 2024, Colombian club Atlético Nacional announced Juárez as their new head coach. His appointment was poorly received by local fans and media, who criticized the lack of experience of the foreign coach.
On 17 November, during the Copa Colombia semifinal match against Independiente Medellín, Juárez was celebrating his team's victory after the full-time whistle when he was shown a red card and promptly escorted out of the stadium by Medellín police and stadium officials. The Colombian Football Federation announced that Juárez would be banned from all Colombian stadiums for three years and fined 26 million Colombian pesos for his "provocative" celebrations. On 27 December, the sanction was revoked.
On 15 December, Juárez won his first title as manager when Atlético Nacional was crowned champion of the Copa Colombia. A week later, he led Atlético Nacional to its 18th league title, making him one of only three managers to achieve the double in Colombian football.
On 14 January 2025, Juárez stepped down from his position due to disagreements with the club's management.

UNAM

On 2 March 2025, Juárez became the head coach of his boyhood club Universidad Nacional. On 30 September, Juárez was handed a two-game ban after an altercation with a match official.