At the age of 18, the man who is shortly set to mastermind Mexico's defence of their Olympic gold medal used to have a two-and-a-half hour commute to work as a teacher, where he would spend part of his time sweeping the floors. There, as he carried out one of his varied daily duties, Raul Gutierrez would go over the ways he intended to stretch the minds of the third-year children under his charge. And the fifth-years and the sixth-years, in addition to pretty much anything else the school required.
“It was a very intense learning experience," recalled the now 49-year-old, in conversation with FIFA.com. "It was a rural school at which I did a bit of everything: head teacher, third-year teacher, caretaker, PE teacher; it was a short but satisfying experience. You get to see the fruits of your work, how the kids' behaviour starts changing, how they become more responsible. Those are things that stay with you forever.”
The backstory of the man set to coach Mexico at the Men's Olympic Football Tournament Rio 2016 is an interesting one indeed. His heart was initially set on being a footballer.
"My parents were dead against it and there was nothing in the world that could change their minds", a situation that lead to him, in secondary school, focusing on collecting his teaching qualifications.
Sent out to cut his educational teeth at said school, a lengthy trip from his home in Mexico City, it was, he believes, a "humbling experience", prior to finally earning his parents' approval and making it to the professional game. Nor is it a decision they would regret. The defender was selected for El Tri at the 1994 FIFA World Cup USA™ and helped his country to victory at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 1996.
As a coach, his talent has arguably shone even brighter. With gifted players, rough diamonds as it were, at his command, El Potro Gutierrez appears to have the perfect blend of educational knowledge and playing pedigree – guiding his charges to triumph at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Mexico 2011 and a runners-up berth at the same event at UAE 2013.
“I spent my teenage years learning how to teach," he explained. "That's not something you forget and you go about applying those techniques in order to get across what it is you want to teach. That's what has influenced me most from having been a teacher. You always find the appropriate way to get things across to each group of players, having the impact it needs to have and showing enough conviction for them to follow you.”
Sink or swim His time at that little school out in the State of Mexico also left him another vital lesson, by which he lives his life. "I had to juggle three age groups within the same classroom, by analysing how to organise them. By getting the third-graders to do this, the fifth-graders this and the sixth-graders something else – all in the same room. All of those skills for managing, adapting, have benefitted me massively. It's an ideology that I instil in my players: if you can't adapt, you'll fade away.”
The same goes, in his opinion, for those unwilling to try and keep learning. Self-taught in many areas of his coaching armoury, Gutierrez is a believer that the man in the dugout should "be able to improvise when necessary, but not all the time", and in the importance of staying on top of changing trends and advances in the various areas that might help a team improve.
"Neurolinguistic programming, coaching...all that has been part of my growth as a person and a coach," continued El Potro. "I've always enjoyed reading. When I was a player I read a book called Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman which had a big impact on me, and it's from there that I began to use those ideas."
To be a champion you have to think like a champion, live like a champion and, above all else, train like a champion.
Of course, all the knowledge in the world is no use without the players. "There's nothing more important in football than the players," said Gutierrez, whose dedication to his profession is such that he often finds himself pausing during his daily 45-minute run to note down an idea, a tactical detail or a concept to win over those who are battling for a place in the 18-man squad that will go to Rio to defend the gold medal won at London 2012.
“Footballers develop in four ways: physically, technically, tactically and psychologically. If they're not right in one of those areas, then it impacts everything else. You could have a fantastic mentality, but if you're not well-prepared physically then you're going to get left behind. And the tactical factor is going to be very significant at this tournament. We'll have to work very thoroughly on all these areas."
Live like a champion, train like a champion Battling for gold at Rio 2016 is a "challenge that enthuses and excites" Gutierrez, who believes Mexico are in with a good chance of defending their title, "despite the fact it will be very competitive and there are a lot of teams with their eye on gold – such as Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Germany and Korea Republic."
Complicating matters in selection terms will be the centenary edition of the Copa America in June, with several potential squad members for Rio also in with a chance of selection for the senior squad at the Copa in the USA. "They're young players and are clearly not going to say no to the chance of playing at a Copa America, but the most important thing is to look after them, see that they get enough rest and that they arrive in good shape ," said Gutierrez.
"We're trying to make the association's directors aware that these players ought to only play at the Olympic Games. For me, that's the ideal scenario." Part of this process is evaluating just how much playing time the young players in question can expect to get at the Copa and, from that basis, make a decision for each individual.
And despite his desire to protect the best interests of his players, Gutierrez does not believe that extends to trying to shift all the pressure from their shoulders. "We're not scared of being named among the favourites," he said, as the interview drew to a close.
"We're aware of it and we're not shying away from it. Since we started this process, we've tried to instil in all the players the responsibility of understanding that we're defending the Olympic gold medal. To be a champion you have to think like a champion, live like a champion and, above all else, train like a champion. The more naturally you see that status, the better you shift any kind of pressure.”