Former Jalisco governor kicks off his second career as a pro soccer coach

Four years ago, erstwhile helium was the politician of Jalisco, Enrique Alfaro was weighing a statesmanlike tally successful Mexico. Now, the 52-year-old is starting implicit arsenic an adjunct shot manager successful Spain’s 2nd division.

As governor, helium concisely emerged arsenic a imaginable 2024 challenger to the ruling Morena party, touting his absorption credentials and nationalist profile. Instead of jumping into that race, helium finished his word connected Dec. 5, 2024, and walked distant from electoral politics.

Parecía broma pero finalmente Enrique Alfaro, ex gobernador de #Jalisco, dejó la política por la cancha. Hoy, anunció que será auxiliar técnico del primer equipo de futbol del Real Valladolid, de la segunda división de #España. pic.twitter.com/JdJTlLC1vw

— Nacho Lozano (@nacholozano) November 22, 2025

While inactive successful office, helium began preparing for a 2nd vocation successful soccer, enrolling successful coaching courses with an Argentine institute and spending clip with the younker teams affiliated with 1 of Mexico’s astir celebrated nonrecreational clubs, Chivas de Guadalajara.

Then, aft leaving office, Alfaro moved to Spain and turned full-time to football, enrolling successful the Real Madrid Graduate School — a programme tally by the elite shot nine Real Madrid successful concern with Universidad Europa.

Featuring squad executives and unit arsenic teachers, the programme offers courses successful marketing, communications and different sports-related fields, specified arsenic the 1 successful which Alfaro earned a master’s degree: shot management.

On Nov. 20, respective months aft earning his degree, helium announced helium was becoming an adjunct manager astatine Real Valladolid, a nonrecreational nine that has spent galore seasons successful Spain’s archetypal division, La Liga, but is presently warring for promotion from La Liga 2.

His duties see assisting with grooming sessions, lucifer mentation and hostile analysis.

“Two and a fractional years ago, arsenic I was astir to crook 50, I decided to alteration the people of my life,” Alfaro said successful the Mexican sports media outlet Mediotiempo. “I had achieved each the nonrecreational goals I had acceptable for myself, and it was clip to instrumentality connected caller challenges.”

Coached by Guillermo Almada, a Uruguayan who coached 2 apical nonrecreational teams successful Mexico — Santos Laguna and Pachuca, from 2019 until May of this twelvemonth — Real Valladolid plays successful a metropolis of 300,000 successful northwest Spain.

For Alfaro, the occupation is not a detour but the culmination of a planned modulation retired of his governmental career, which included his 2018 predetermination arsenic Jalisco governor.

Alfaro completed a programme astatine the Real Madrid Graduate School earlier this twelvemonth earlier snagging a occupation arsenic adjunct manager for Real Valladolid. (Enrique Alfaro/X)

A subordinate of the centrist Movimiento Ciudadano (Citizens’ Movement) party, Alfaro was sometimes described arsenic 1 of the astir disposable anti-Morena figures.

He often criticized then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador connected issues similar national “superdelegates,” COVID-19 restrictions, information and fuel shortages. At the aforesaid time, helium often said that being successful absorption did not mean unfastened warfare with Morena oregon AMLO.

In caller years, the taxable of Mexican politicians with contention oregon investigations astir them landing successful Spain has been a hot-button issue.

Notably, erstwhile President Enrique Peña Nieto (2012–2018) obtained a Spanish “golden visa” successful 2020 and has been surviving successful Madrid contempt Mexican investigations and corruption allegations against him.

Also, Quirino Ordaz Coppel, erstwhile politician of Sinaloa, lived successful Madrid arsenic AMLO’s ambassador to Spain aft a 2017-2021 word marked by accusations of corruption and impunity successful high-profile cases.

Alfaro was among officials publically threatened by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) erstwhile helium was politician of Jalisco, but determination is nary nationalist grounds that helium is successful exile oregon facing charges successful Mexico.

“I lived a fantastic communicative [in politics] that I americium arrogant to callback — a communicative of dignity, condemnation and principles that correspond my legacy,” helium said successful Mediotiempo. “But my tendency and enthusiasm for authorities had waned. I wanted to reinvent myself … That’s wherefore I decided to dedicate the adjacent fewer years of my beingness to my large passion: football.”

And however galore erstwhile Mexican politicians successful Spain accidental their extremity is to 1 time instrumentality to Mexico to manager 1 of its astir celebrated teams, Chivas? At slightest 1 — Alfaro has stated that’s his intention.

With reports from Mediotiempo and Infobae