Cruz Azul have finally announced the long-term successor to Martín Anselmi, who accepted the opportunity to join FC Porto, in Portugal, back in January.
At the start of the Clausura campaign, as Anselmi announced his shock departure from the Mexican capital, the club opted to replace him on a temporary basis with Vicente Sánchez stepping up as the interim manager for the rest of the season.
In his six months as manager, Sánchez guided La Máquina to their first Concacaf Champions Cup title in 11 years, destroying the Vancouver Whitecaps 5-0 in the final. Many thought that this would be enough to earn Sánchez the full-time position, but the club have had other ideas.
Nicolás Larcamón signs for Cruz Azul
On Monday, 16th June 2025, Cruz Azul confirmed on social media that their official replacement for Martín Anselmi would be another Argentine, Nicolás Larcamón.
NICOLÁS LARCAMÓN ES NUEVO DIRECTOR TÉCNICO DE LA MÁQUINA.
— CRUZ AZUL (@CruzAzul) June 17, 2025
Bienvenido a tu nueva casa, bienvenido a este gran proyecto.
Vamos juntos por todo. 💙 pic.twitter.com/47X2lHqUKF
At 40, Larcamón is no stranger to Mexican football. He has previously managed Puebla and León, but his most impressive campaign in Liga MX came this past season with Necaxa. Under his leadership, the team reached the quarter-finals, narrowly missing out on a semi-final spot after a last-minute goal sent Tigres through instead.
During the regular season, Larcamón transformed Los Rayos into one of the most exciting teams in Liga MX. Only eventual champions Toluca scored more goals than Necaxa, whose fifth-place finish marked a major turnaround from their Apertura campaign, where they ended up 13th and well outside the playoff picture.
Larcamón’s tactical approach maximised the squad’s strengths, Diber Cambindo enjoyed a breakout season, netting 11 goals in 17 appearances, while José Paradela flourished, finishing the season with 16 goal contributions.
Goal for Cruz Azul?
The goal for Cruz Azul is clear: win a Liga MX title. They have come close in recent years, but ultimately have nothing to show for it. Across the last two seasons, they fell short in the semi-finals twice and ended as runners-up in the Clausura 2024 final. To make things worse, all three of those losses came against city rivals Club América.
Now, they return to domestic football as champions of Concacaf. Their players have a taste for silverware and need a commander-in-chief to help get them over the line. Larcamón has shown he can get an instant reaction out of a team, but La Máquina need him to do it again if they stand a chance of competing for the Apertura 2025 title.
Is Nicolás Larcamón the right man for the job? Let us know what you think!
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