England winger Gordon spoke to the media this week about a range of things, including what happened with former Mexico national team manager Javier Aguirre.
Mexico coach Javier Aguirre had some choice words for Anthony Gordon, albeit in jest (Image: AFP or licensor)
England forward Anthony Gordon has revealed that he took Mexico’s manager Javier Aguirre’s foul-mouthed abuse as a “compliment”.
Aguirre, who has since resigned from his role, told Gordon to “fuck off” during a World Cup showdown in Mexico City. It came after Gordon sent a lightning bolt down the wing, and the hilarious moment went viral on social media.
Gordon said: “I remember. It was kind of fun. There was a lot of energy and tension during the game, so it was a little bit of a compliment from him because I was just running the full-backs down the line. That’s how I took it anyway. He seemed like a nice guy and he talked to me and Jude the whole game and he really liked talking to me and Jude because there was a lot of tension in the game.”
Aguirre is known as one of the greats in football, but Gordon says this isn’t the first time a rival manager has tried to wind him up for being too fast.
Gordon added: “I’ve never had an argument with the manager. Usually the manager will say something like that when you do something good and give you compliments and compliments, not in a very nice way like that time. I’ve had it a few times and he was just talking about the game. He was talking to Jude and I was listening to it, so he was a funny guy. He was a good character.”
And Gordon also revealed that Marcus Rashford was the first to congratulate him on his move to Barcelona – even though they could be rivals next season.
England winger Gordon moved to Camp Nou for a fee of £70 million, while Rashford wants to remain at Barcelona after spending last season on loan with the Spanish giants. The two are already rivals vying for a place in England’s starting XI and could now become rivals at club level as well.
It could easily put them at odds with each other, but Gordon says it’s a very friendly rivalry and respect.
England’s Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon mingle while out for a training session (Image: 2026 The FA)
“He congratulated me as soon as he saw me,” Gordon said. “Honestly, he’s been really helpful. I’m looking for a house, and he helped me out with the club because I hadn’t been to a club yet.”
“That’s difficult for me because my concentration is here. He really helped me.
“But yeah, we’re competing for places. That’s football. That’s always required at an elite level and it’s usually to my advantage, so I’m totally fine with that and I’m sure he is too.”
Gordon actually believes Rashford is somewhat misunderstood as a person and a player, but deserves respect rather than negativity around him.
She added: “He’s a nice guy, but I think he’s very misunderstood from the outside looking in. He’s very humble, just childish. He just loves playing football. As you can see, he’s always with the ball and kicking up and stuff. He’s a nice guy, well-bred, nice family as far as I know. He’s a very nice guy.”
“But I think he’s always been a little bit quirky when it comes to the media. I think it’s best for him to talk about that rather than me. From my point of view, he’s always been a little bit negative. He’s always been a little quirky. But he’s always been a little quirky when it comes to the media.”
“From the time I met him and from all the camps we spent together, he’s a really nice guy, like most football players are, by the way.”
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