Monterrey’s telenovela-like run-up to the Club World Cup

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Liga MX power CF Monterrey begins play at the FIFA Club World Cup Tuesday night at the Rose Bowl. That’s straightforward enough of a phrase. But the trail of controversy at the club’s back is right out of a Mexican telenovela.

Monterrey recently hired former Manchester City and Barcelona assistant Domènec Torrent as head coach, and he’ll debut against UEFA Champions League runner-up Inter Milan at the Rose Bowl. How Torrent came to be hired is where things get spicy.

In this case, betrayal wasn’t the main theme of the story. Instead, the protagonists, midfielder Sergio Canales and former manager Martín Demichelis, clashed in a way that isn’t fully foreign in football circles. A power struggle between a star player and a splashy managerial hire, coupled with failed expectations on the pitch and a media frenzy surrounding it all have set the stage for the Mexican club’s tournament opener in Pasadena, Calif.

When Canales stormed off in frustration after an April training session at Monterrey’s El Barrial Training Center, it set off a series of events that led to Demichehlis’ short stay in Mexico. The Liga MX side was in a constant tailspin under the Argentine. When Canales finally lost his composure, Monterrey was in danger of missing the league playoffs.

Canales, the former Real Madrid and Real Betis midfielder, had had enough. He kicked a glass barrier with his favored left foot that resulted in a bloody gash and more than 10 stitches.

At the time, Canales’ blow up was a sign of something that had been brewing for months. Monterrey had given Demichelis a second chance at glory. He was shown the door at River Plate, the club he played for as a young professional, despite winning a league title. Demichelis succeeded Fernando Ortiz in Monterrey after the latter was fired for failing to win anything at an institution in Mexico that is among the wealthiest clubs in the country.

Former Monterrey manager Martin Demichelis. (Photo by Azael Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Demichelis’s stock as an up-and-coming manager in South America took a hit when he was dismissed at River and replaced by Marcelo Gallardo, the club legend whose two Copa Libertadores trophies hung over Demichelis during the latter’s less-than-two-year spell there. In Mexico, Demichelis would find another opportunity to coach under the spotlight in a country where scrutiny and hot takes are a national pastime.

Despite a squad with big names, national team players and exciting young prospects, Demichelis could not steer the Monterrey ship away from a glacier of criticism. The results weren’t going his way. Reports in Mexico suggested that the players had lost confidence in him. The dust up with Canales appeared to spell the end of Demichelis’ tenure in Nuevo Leon.

According to reports, Canales told Demichelis that the manager had not improved the squad at all.

“You haven’t contributed anything in defense, in attack, or in training,” Canales reportedly said before striking the glass barrier.

Demichelis denied that there was a rift between himself and Canales, who is among the most expensive Liga MX signings in history – and once the team captain.

“We had an intrasquad scrimmage on Wednesday,” Demichelis said in April. “We were self-critical. It’s my job to be tough, but I have to demand from this or that player, from number one to number 25. Because we weren’t doing well, because we were in ninth place, because we had lost at home to the last-place team. So what happened is normal. It’s normal.

“Then, unfortunately for Sergio—not in front of me, about 200 meters from the field—he hit something made of glass, not wood. That’s all there is to it. I need Sergio to get better this week because we need him, because he’s super unpredictable, game-changing, because he’s an extremely important player and because Monterrey needs him.”

The Mexican press jumped all over the crisis, and it began to overshadow anything else around the club. Eventually, Canales filmed his own personal statement on social media to quell all of the hysteria. He described the incident at the training ground as the result of “an intense group talk,” one that he said was “constructive” but that had been “blown out of proportion” due to his injury.

“I’m having a really hard time because there’s been a lot of talk, a lot of misinformation, and I’ve stayed silent out of respect,” Canales said on April 7. “I’m recording this video to put this matter to rest because a lot has been said about it, and I think it’s important for everyone, especially for the team. I just want you to know that I’m very calm and I don’t regret anything that happened, because from my side, I didn’t do anything wrong—nothing at all. I’ve never wanted to harm this team, with which, as you know, I feel very connected, and since I arrived, I’ve given my all in every training session and every match.”

Demichelis, now on the thinnest of ice, refused to be manhandled by the firestorm that surrounded him.

“If there were a very bad relationship between Sergio Canales and Martín Demichelis, I would separate the player so that he wouldn’t train with the group — absolutely none of that is happening,” Demichelis said in a press conference days later.

“You can give whatever headline you want. You call it an argument. We’re open to whatever opinions the player wants to express,” he added. “In every team, sport, and locker room, there’s an exchange of opinions. I’m not an authoritarian. I like to listen and have the player give their opinions so I can draw the best conclusions.”

A month later Demichelis was fired.

Sergio Ramos, 39, joined Liga MX’s Monterrey in February 2025. (Photo by Azael Rodriguez/Getty Images)

The debate that followed in Mexico was whether Monterrey needed a tactician as a manager or mano dura – a firm hand – as the key to stabilizing the team. After all, the dressing room had several big personalities. Sergio Ramos joined the club in February. The club’s top players are all well-paid professionals whose public image had taken a severe hit during their slide down the table.

In the end, Monterrey’s front office combined tactics and authority when they hired Torrent. The 62-year-old Pep Guardiola ally is known to be brash with his comments. Torrent has coached in Spain with Barcelona and in Brazil with Flamengo. He was an assistant at Manchester City under Guardiola and took on the responsibility of managing Galatasaray, one of the most volatile environments in world football. His stint with MLS side New York City FC was respectable, as well.

During his introductory press conference on May 26, a Monterrey-based reporter asked Torrent if taking over the Liga MX side ahead of the Club World Cup – and under pressure to win a trophy this year – was his most challenging job yet.

“No,” Torrent said without hesitation. Monterrey will celebrate its 80th anniversary, the reporter added. His answer led to an awkward smile from Monterrey sporting director José Antonio Noriega, who was seated to Torrent’s right.

“All you have to do is see where (my staff) has been before this,” Torrent said. “We know why we were here but Flamengo is a very big club. Barcelona, Manchester City…so no, no. We’ve gone around the world. Mexican football is very good and this will be a challenge that we’re excited about and we know the difficulties we’ll face, but no. I’m very sorry but this is not the biggest challenge of our lives.”

Torrent put Monterrey, a high-spending and highly marketable team in Mexico, in its place. The club has not won a title since 2019. Under Demichelis, Los Rayados were eliminated from the MLS-Liga MX Leagues Cup by Austin FC, which became a professional club in MLS in 2021. A new standard was needed. But perhaps more importantly, humility was missing from Monterrey’s world.

New Monterrey manager Domenec Torrent. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

“Since Demichelis left, honestly those situations are always tough for the team. It’s complicated,” Monterrey starting left back Gerardo Arteaga told The Athletic this week. “A coaching change, especially ahead of something as big as the Club World Cup, brings a lot of uncertainty. But I think the foundation is always the group — the players. And as long as we’re united and strong, in the end, if one coach leaves and another arrives, we always have to stay tight as a unit. That’s what happened — our new coach arrived and the group remained solid and open to everything he asked for.”

Perhaps unbeknownst to football followers outside of Mexico, Torrent led Liga MX side San Luis to its best-ever finish in 2024. San Luis reached the tournament semifinals but was eliminated by Monterrey, who then lost the final to Club América. Arteaga described Torrent’s style as one that prioritizes possession and high pressing.

“He wants us to be aggressive,” Arteaga said.

Ramos, now Monterrey’s captain and vocal leader, told reporters on the eve of their Club World Cup that Monterrey was at the tournament to compete against anyone. But like Torrent, Ramos made sure to let everyone know Monterrey’s place among the sport’s best squads.

“Even though people may only know two or three names from our team, (Monterrey) has a very, very high level of talent, and this is a very important and valuable opportunity to say, ‘We’re here,” Ramos said. “With great respect for all our opponents—because obviously they have many more well-known players than we do, and they’re much more favored than we are … this is a great chance to say, ‘We’re here to compete on equal footing with any team.’ We’re here to give it our all.”

(Top photo: Azael Rodriguez/Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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