Joel Huiqui
Mexican footballer (born 1983)
Joel Adrián Huiqui Andrade is a Mexican football manager and former footballer who played as a centre-back. He is the head coach of Liga MX club Cruz Azul.
 Huiqui with Morelia in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joel Adrián Huiqui Andrade | ||
| Date of birth | 18 February 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Cruz Azul (head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2002 | Hermosillo Hidalgo | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2010 | Cruz Azul | 135 | (4) |
| 2003–2004 | → Pachuca (loan) | 38 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | → Morelia (loan) | 57 | (2) |
| 2012–2015 | Morelia | 104 | (4) |
| 2016–2017 | → Cafetaleros (loan) | 26 | (1) |
| 2017 | → Potros UAEM (loan) | 10 | (2) |
| 2018 | Las Vegas Lights | 24 | (4) |
| Total | 394 | (17) | |
| International career | |||
| 2003 | Mexico U20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2005–2013 | Mexico | 14 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2019–2021 | Cruz Azul Reserves and Academy | ||
| 2021–2022 | Juárez (Liga TDP) | ||
| 2023 | Cruz Azul Reserves and Academy | ||
| 2023 | Cruz Azul (assistant) | ||
| 2024–2025 | Cruz Azul U23 (assistant) | ||
| 2025 | Cruz Azul (assistant) | ||
| 2026 | Cruz Azul U21 | ||
| 2026 | Cruz Azul (interim) | ||
| 2026– | Cruz Azul | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Joel Adrián Huiqui Andrade[a] (born 18 February 1983) is a Mexican football manager and former footballer who played as a centre-back. He is the head coach of Liga MX club Cruz Azul.
Playing career
Club
Huiqui came up through the youth academy of Cruz Azul Hidalgo, a second-division team affiliated with Cruz Azul. During the Apertura 2003, he was sent on loan to Pachuca, where he made his top-flight debut in a league match against Tigres UANL. In that tournament, he became a champion with Los Tuzos. However, he only spent one year at Pachuca before Cruz Azul brought him into the main squad, where he went on to play for six years.
He gained notoriety for a controversial handball incident during the Apertura 2009 semi-finals against Morelia, when he deliberately used his hand to block a goal-bound shot from Wilson Tiago. The incident became known as “La Muertinha.”[1]
Following his departure from Cruz Azul, he joined Monarcas Morelia, where he made over 100 appearances, before going on to represent Toros Neza, Cafetaleros de Tapachula, and Potros UAEM. He concluded his playing career with Las Vegas Lights.[2]
International
Huiqui was part of the squad during the qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup but was ultimately not selected by coach Ricardo La Volpe for the final 23-man roster. He captained the Mexico national team during the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Managerial career
After retiring as a player, Huiqui became an assistant coach for Cruz Azul's youth academy, eventually rising to head coach of the squad. In 2021, he left the club to manage Juárez in Mexico's fourth division. Two years later, he returned to Cruz Azul as an assistant coach.
On 22 April 2026, Huiqui was appointed as Cruz Azul's interim manager following the dismissal of Nicolás Larcamón.[3] He took charge for the final matchday of the regular season before guiding the team through the playoffs: defeated Atlas in the quarter-finals and eliminated Guadalajara before they prevailed 2–1 against UNAM. The club's tenth league title was secured, Huiqui's first as manager.[4] Having required only seven matches to secure the Liga MX championship, he became the second coach in history to achieve the title in so few games—surpassed only by Alberto Jorge, who accomplished the feat in merely four matches.[5]
Personal life
Born in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, to Native Mexican parents. Huiqui is ethnic Mayo. His paternal surname is of Mayo descent, comes from Indigenous people of Sonora and Sinaloa.[6]
Career statistics
International
- As of match played 25 July 2013[7]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 2005 | 4 | 1 |
| 2006 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 14 | 1 | |
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 14 December 2005 | Chase Field, Phoenix, United States |  Hungary | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
Managerial statistics
- As of match played 24 May 2026
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Cruz Azul | 22 April 2026 | Present | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 71.43 | [8] |
| Total | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 71.43 | — | ||
Honours
Player
Pachuca
Morelia
Manager
Cruz Azul
Notes
- ↑ In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Huiqui and the second or maternal family name is Andrade.
References
- ↑ "¿Cómo nació la 'Muertinha'? Joel Huiqui lo revela". Mediotiempo (in Mexican Spanish). 2026-05-18. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
- ↑ Redacción, Por (2023-02-18). "¿Quién es Joel Huiqui, creador de la 'muertinha' y auxiliar técnico interino del Cruz Azul?". El Financiero (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-18.
- ↑ "¿Quién es Joel Huiqui? El director técnico interino que toma a Cruz Azul rumbo a la Liguilla del Clausura 2026". infobae (in Mexican Spanish). 2026-04-23. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
- ↑ "Cruz Azul campeón con un final de película sobre Pumas". www.espn.com.mx. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
- ↑ Olvera, Marcos; Roche, Calum (2026-05-25). "Joel Huiqui goes second on list of coaches to be champions with the fewest games". AS USA. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
- ↑ Velázquez, Ariel (20 May 2026). "Joel Huiqui: el origen yoreme del técnico que busca el décimo titulo del Cruz Azul". Excélsior (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- ↑ Joel Huiqui at National-Football-Teams.com
- ↑ "CF Cruz Azul – Results and Fixtures". Soccerway. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
External links
- Joel Huiqui – Liga MX stats at MedioTiempo.com (archived) (in Spanish)
- Joel Huiqui at National-Football-Teams.com
- Huiqui's Statistics
- Joel Huiqui at Soccerway
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