Nicolás Larcamón. / @Cruzazul
Nothing is finalized yet, but negotiations between Sporting de Gijón and Nicolás Larcamón are progressing. The positions of the red-and-white club and the Argentine coach have moved closer in recent hours as they look to take charge of the team for next season. According to sources, José Riestra and the tactician have already held an initial meeting to discuss key sporting aspects and the working vision for Sporting. There is alignment, but also caution. The club is now working to finalize what is their main bet following Borja Jiménez’s announced departure. Larcamón, with a strong reputation in South America, has other options on the table.
Sporting de Gijón sees Nicolás Ricardo Larcamón (born August 11, 1984, in La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina) as the most convincing profile to succeed Borja Jiménez on the bench. A former footballer (son and nephew of footballers), a knee injury at age 22 cut short his playing career at Club Atlético Los Andes. He then studied physical education and began architecture, but his coaching vocation emerged while working with youth teams. He took a chance on the sidelines and succeeded. He reached glory with Pachuca—Orlegi’s eternal rival in Mexico—by leading one of its clubs, León, to the Concacaf Champions League title in 2023, with a philosophy he defines as: “I prefer to lose attacking than to draw defending.”
Larcamón’s profile shares several parallels with Miguel Ángel Ramírez, the coach who got the best out of Sporting during Orlegi’s four years in Gijón. Young, successful in America, and eager to make a name in European football, he emphasizes personal relationships as one of his strengths for getting the most out of his players—not just them, but everyone involved in a team’s daily life.
Life forced him to change course several times. Osteochondritis in his knee—a condition where bone loses blood supply—cost Atlético Los Andes a player but gave football a coach. While studying for a new professional horizon, the ball remained in his head, and a friend offered him the chance to coach Almafuerte de Temperley, an amateur team. From there, he moved to the youth divisions of Nueva Chicago, and after years of matches and progress in Argentine grassroots football, a call came from Venezuela. A director from Deportivo Anzoátegui had heard him speak at a training workshop in Maracaibo and offered him the head coach role of the Venezuelan first-division team. That was 2016, and he excelled.
He took Deportivo Anzoátegui to their highest levels, competing for the title and qualifying for the Copa Sudamericana. The next call came from Chile, where between 2017 and 2020 he managed Deportes Antofagasta, Huachipato, and Curicó Unido, consistently showing promise. The next step was more serious: Mexico. Puebla needed a spark, and under Larcamón they went from looking at the bottom of the table to rubbing shoulders with the best.
He lost a Clausura semifinal against Orlegi’s Santos Laguna in 2021, and his method, youth, and ambition caught the attention of Pachuca, who signed him for León. There, he enjoyed his greatest sporting success shortly after taking over. His rapid progression then led to a different country: Brazil’s Cruzeiro. At the club chaired by Ronaldo Nazario, he lasted four months—his shortest and least successful stint.
He returned to Mexico to lead Necaxa to the Clausura 2025 quarterfinals and then signed for Cruz Azul, one of the country’s powerhouse clubs, where his tenure lasted less than a year without achieving the desired results.
