Ignacio Trelles


Ignacio "Nacho" Trelles Campos was a Mexican football player and coach. As a player, he won three Mexican championships with Club Necaxa. Later he coached amongst other the Mexico national team.

Club career

Trelles made his senior debut with Club Necaxa in 1934. He won the Mexican Primera División three times with the club, in 1934–35, 1936–37 and 1937–38 and the Copa MX once, in 1934–35.
In 1943, after nine years at Necaxa, Trelles joined the ranks of Club América and played with the Las Águilas for three years before moving to C.F. Monterrey in 1946. In 1948 he played in the United States with the Chicago Vikings. He retired from playing in February 1948 with Atlante F.C., having suffered a fractured tibia and fibula in his right leg.

Coaching career

He had seven tenures as coach of the Mexico national football team in 106 international matches and was in charge of the Mexico squads at two FIFA World Cup tournaments: 1962 and 1966. He guided Mexico to their first win in a FIFA World Cup when they defeated Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile. At the 1962 FIFA World Cup, Mexico finished eleventh, which was their best ranking in a World Cup outside home soil until 2002 where they also ranked eleventh.
With professional clubs, he coached 1083 matches, collected 463 wins, 319 draws and 301 losses. He took Cruz Azul to consecutive México Primera División , 1979 and 1980; a feat the team has yet to repeat.

Later life

Trelles turned 100 in July 2016. He died on 24 March 2020 at the age of 103, in Mexico City.

Honours

Player

Necaxa
C.D. Marte
Club Zacatepec
Club Toluca
Cruz Azul