Who is Carlos Avina, the low-profile sporting chief on the rise at AS Monaco? | OneFootball

AS Monaco technical director Carlos Avina has quietly taken on a broader brief, deepening his influence inside the club.

According to Nice-Matin, a late January meeting at La Turbie formalised his remit across team management and oversight of medical and performance. It eased parts of Thiago Scuro’s load, though the general manager remains involved and regards Avina as the club’s official sporting director.

The 35-year-old Mexican is trilingual in English, Spanish and improving French. He holds an economics degree and a master’s in commerce, studied negotiation in New York, gained UEFA’s sporting director licence in May, and added coaching badges in Mexico to better understand tactical demands.

A former Ford financial analyst, he worked at Club America from 2015 to 2019, then led at Cercle Bruges between 2020 and 2023, where he built a data department and staffed key roles. His recruitment delivered sales of Kévin Denkey and Ayase Ueda for 17 and 9 million euros.

Colleagues depict a direct, demanding communicator who challenges youngsters while acknowledging collective progress. He left Mexico in 2020 during Covid and, at Cercle in November 2021, dismissed Yves Vanderhaeghe nine months in, before a 2-0 derby win over Club Bruges and a 10th-place finish. He is viewed as a calm, fair negotiator, close to the squad without overshadowing the coach, traits that could help explain why president Rybolovlev appreciates him.

Source: Nice-Matin