Antonio Mohamed


Ricardo Antonio Mohamed Matijević is an Argentine former professional footballer and current manager of Liga MX club Monterrey.

Club career

Antonio Mohamed started his career in Argentina with Huracán in 1987, when the club was playing in the second division. In the 1988–89 season, he was an important part of the Huracán team that gained promotion to the first division, scoring the only goal against Los Andes in the decisive match. Mohamed made his debut in the first division on 19 August 1990 in a match between Huracán and Deportivo Mandiyú, which ended in a 2–2 draw. In 1991 Mohamed was sold to Italian club Fiorentina for US$1.2 million, but was successively loaned to Boca Juniors and Independiente. He would later play for the majority of his career in Mexico, joining Toros Neza in 1993. His career apexed with Toros Neza when they had made it to the final against Guadalajara in the Verano '97 season alongside other famous players at the time such as Nildeson, Rodrigo Ruiz, and Germán Arangio. Mohamed left Toros Neza shortly before the club dissolved and went on to play for C.F. Monterrey. After playing briefly for several other Mexican football clubs from 2000 to 2003, he officially retired.

International career

An Argentine international, Mohamed made his debut with the national team in a friendly match against Hungary on 19 February 1991, with Argentina winning the match 2–0. He made four appearances in total, scoring one goal. He was a part of the Argentina squad that won the Copa América tournament in 1991.

Managerial career

Argentina and Mexico

After retiring as a player, Mohamed returned to Mexico to become the manager of Zacatepec. He then had spells as manager of Mexican clubs, Morelia, Querétaro, Chiapas and Veracruz. Mohamed returned to Argentina and in 2008 he led Huracán back into the Primera División for the first time since their relegation in 2003, only to be replaced by Osvaldo Ardiles six games into the season.
In December 2010 he managed the Independiente side that won the Copa Sudamericana tournament, defeating Brazilian side Goiás 5–3 on penalties in the finals. He would return to Mexico in 2011 and on 19 September Mohamed was announced as the new manager of recently promoted Club Tijuana, replacing Joaquín Del Olmo. Mohamed led Tijuana to the Apertura 2012 championship, the first in the club's history, after defeating Toluca 4–1 on aggregate in the finals. After stepping down as Tijuana manager in 2013 so he could move back to Argentina to be closer to his family, Mohamed became the manager of Huracán for a second time, though a string of negative results led to his early resignation.

Club América

On 10 December 2013, Mohamed was named the new manager of Club América for the Clausura 2014 tournament after the club's President Ricardo Peláez confirmed it during an interview with Univisión. He was officially presented to the press on 17 December. At the press conference it was revealed that he had signed a one year contract with the club, with the potential for an extension pending a review of his performance. Mohamed also spoke of the pressure that came with managing América and comparing it to his time with Club Tijuana, saying, "Here I have everything to lose." His first two signings where Paraguayan center-back Pablo Aguilar, whom he coached while at Tijuana, and Argentine striker Andrés Ríos.
Mohamed's first league match with América came on 4 January 2014 in a 3–0 victory over UANL at the Estadio Azteca. Mohamed suffered his first defeat as América manager on 10 January in a 0–1 loss to Tijuana. Following a run of three-consecutive victories against León, Atlas, and Atlante, América suffered defeats to Pachuca and Morelia – both by a score of 0–1 – the first time they lost back-to-back games since the Clausura 2012 tournament, leading the club's start to the tournament to be described as a "crisis". The team was criticized for its defensive style of play, with many drawing comparisons to predecessor Miguel Herrera's more offensive-minded tactics and his successful reign at the club, though some believed that a lack of a proper pre-season and the club being in a period of transition were the reasons for the team's poor performances.
On 23 February, América was defeated 1–3 by Universidad Nacional in the Mexico City derby, ending the club's two-year hegemony over Universidad. The club's poor performance lead fans to Twitter asking Mohamed to resign.
On 27 April, following a 1–1 draw against Toluca at the Estadio Nemesio Díez, América secured their qualification for the playoffs. They would ultimately be eliminated in the quarterfinals by Santos Laguna with a 6–6 aggregate score, with the away goals rule being the series' deciding factor. At the post-match press conference, Mohamed stated his hope for continuing on with the club, saying: "I am very content at the club, the board has given me their full support…, if nothing strange happens then we will surely have a pre-season… I have a contract until December, they have always given me their full support, and it is up to them to decide."
The regular season Apertura 2014 was much more successful from the start with Club America holding the 1st place lead throughout the season. Turco continued to struggle winning any of the big 3 derbies during the regular season. Mohamed's laid back style of managing the team caused friction with the administrative staff. These instances usually involved long weekend getaways to support the Argentina National Football Team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final, going to Europe for an all-star "peace match" for the Pope among other circumstances. Going into the liguilla America's form had dropped significantly and many analyst did not see America making it past the first round. Tensions rose dramatically once America advanced to semifinals after a nail biter quarterfinal against Pumas. A few days before America's first leg semi final match against Monterrey, Mohamed dismissed club co-captain Paul Aguilar after an undisclosed serious matter that occurred in the locker room. During that week the entire press had multiple sources saying that Mohamed would no longer continue at the club regardless of the playoff result. The club morale was in even more shock once notable Club America players Luis Angel Mendoza and Jesus Molina had also been confirmed to be transferring teams, before playoffs had ever ended. Mohamed would continue to go into the final in the most professional manner, while only confirming that he would no longer continue the day before the 2nd leg of the final. Mohamed would go on to graciously manage America to win their 12th title, thus making America the most successful club in Mexican league football. A notable paraphrase that Mohamed said at his final interviews was "I will leave them the cup, but I am taking my dignity."

C.F. Monterrey

On 16 February 2015 after the release of Carlos Barra as coach, Monterrey came into an agreement with Antonio Mohamed to become the new coach of the team. On 21 February 2015, Antonio Mohamed was able to gain a victory against Querétaro F.C. with a score of 2-1.

Celta

On 22 May 2018, La Liga club Celta de Vigo appointed Mohamed as manager on a two-year contract. He was sacked on 12 November, with the team in 14th after 12 matches.

Personal life

Mohamed's nickname is El Turco, following the custom in many Latin American countries of using that nickname for people of Arab descent, whose ancestors arrived from the Ottoman Empire. In June 2006 his nine-year-old son Faryd was killed in a car accident during the World Cup in Germany. Mohamed himself suffered severe injuries in the accident and was in danger of losing his leg.
He is of Lebanese, Syrian and Croatian descent. On December 29, 2019 he fulfilled the promise he made to his son by making the Monterrey football club champion of Mexican cup.

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

;Huracán
;Argentina
;Independiente
;Tijuana
;América
;Monterrey