Luis Aragonés

Luis Aragonés in July 2008

José Luis Aragonés Suárez Martínez ( born July 28, 1938 in Madrid, † February 1, 2014 ) was a Spanish footballer and coach.

Career

Aragonés spent as a player most of his career with Atlético Madrid. Most Aragonés is only called Luis. In the late 1960s and the early 1970s, he was a major player and then coach of the successful team Atlético Madrid. The team won four La Liga and reached the final of the 1974 European Champion Clubs' Cup against Bayern Munich, in which Aragonés in the 114th minute scored the 1-0, which was offset by Georg Schwarz Beck in the 120th minute. The replay Atlético lost with 0:4. They also won the 1974 World Cup because Bayern Munich renounced as the winner of the European Cup for participation. In these games, against Independiente Avellaneda Aragonés was already active as a coach. Between 1964 and 1975 played 265 times Aragonés for Atlético in the Spanish Primera División and scored 123 goals. With a total of 172 goals he is the leading scorer of the club, he then trained four times.

However, Aragonés also played at other clubs, such as at Real Betis, also he played eleven times for the Spanish national team and scored three goals. He coached teams in the Primera División as FC Barcelona, Seville, Valencia CF, RCD Espanyol, Real Betis, Real Oviedo and RCD Mallorca FC.

As Aragonés had designated 2004 a training for a World Cup qualifier the player Thierry Henry as " negro de mierda " ( " crappy Black " ), this was interpreted as an expression of racism. Aragonés, however, stated that he had wanted so only motivate the forward Jose Antonio Reyes. The Spanish Football Federation RFEF imposed in March 2005 to pay a fine of 3000 euros for racism with the announcement to take drastic measures in case of recurrence. The set up by the Spanish government Commission against Violence had called for a tougher punishment. The sentence was later overturned on appeal.

Aragonés ' involvement in the Spanish national team ended after the Euro 2008, in which his team won the title with a 1-0 final win against Germany. With this victory, which gave Spain its second European title after 1964, was Luis Aragonés four weeks and one day before his 70th birthday, the oldest winner of the European championship coach history. The hitherto applicable record had been set only at the previous tournament by Otto Rehhagel. Successor of Luis Aragonés as Spain's coach Vicente del Bosque was, two years later also the oldest winner coach of World Cup history was with the team.

Last Aragonés was coach of Turkish first division club Fenerbahce in the 2008 /09 season, but was released early in June 2009.

Achievements

As a player

Atlético Madrid

• Spanish Champion: 3 (1966, 1970, 1973)
• Copa del Generalísimo: 2 (1965, 1972)

As a coach

Atlético Madrid

• Spanish Champion: 1 ( 1977)
• Copa del Rey: 3 (1976, 1985, 1992)
• World Cup: 1 (1974 )
• Supercopa de España: 1 (1985 )

FC Barcelona

• Copa del Rey: 1 ( 1988)

Spanish national team

• European Football Championship: 1 (2008)

Quotes

• "We can beat the best. But we can also lose to them. "(2008)
• "If we win the European title, I pilgrimage on the Way of St. James. " (2008)