Luis Aragonés
Encyclopedia
José Luis Aragonés Suárez (xoˈse ˈlwis aɾaɣoˈnes ˈswaɾeθ; born July 28, 1938), usually referred to as Luis Aragonés and sometimes simply as Luis, is a former Spanish
footballer and national coach.
Aragonés has spent the majority of his career as a player and coach at Atlético Madrid. He was a prominent player and then coach of the successful Atlético team of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The team won La Liga
four times, reached the final of the European Cup
and won the Intercontinental Cup
. Between 1964 and 1974 he played 265 La Liga
games for Atlético and scored 123 goals. Aragonés has coached the club on four separate occasions. He has also played with several other clubs, most notably Real Betis
, and played 11 times for Spain
, scoring three goals. Apart from Atlético he has also coached seven other La Liga
clubs as well as the Spanish national football team whom he led to their 2nd European Championship title in 2008. He became the head coach of the Turkish football team Fenerbahçe after Euro 2008, and this is the first time that Aragonés has coached outside of his native Spain.
in 1957 and that was also where he picked up his nickname "the elf". In 1958 he signed for Real Madrid
but never made it into the senior team. He spent most of his time at Real Madrid on loan to other clubs, including Recreativo de Huelva
and Hércules CF
and Úbeda CF and playing for AD Plus Ultra
, the Real Madrid reserve team
. In 1960 he joined Real Oviedo
and made his debut in the Primera Division
. Between 1961 and 1964 he played for Real Betis
, making 86 league appearances and scoring 33 goals. He was part of the team champion of Euro 1964, being reserve in the quarterfinals against Ireland.
Zapatones, meaning big boots and he was known as a free kick
specialist. He was a regular goalscorer and in 1970 he shared the Pichichi
with his fellow Atlético forward José Eulogio Gárate
and Amancio
. In 1974 he scored in the 1–1 draw with Bayern Munich as Atlético held the German team in the European Cup
final before losing 4–0 in the replay. After retiring as a player Aragonés was appointed Atlético coach for the first time in 1974. He soon earned himself a new nickname
, El Sabio de Hortaleza (The Wise Man from Hortaleza). But after Aragones started going to the gym he changed it to the "Ogre" because of his appearance and maximum trained muscles.
, Spain won all three group games before facing France in the Second Round. After taking the lead through David Villa
, they lost 3–1 following goals from Franck Ribéry
, Patrick Vieira
and Zinedine Zidane
. At Euro 2008, Spain also won all three group games, beat 2006 World Cup champion Italy on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals, beat Russia 3–0 in the semifinal, and in the final defeated Germany 1–0 through a Fernando Torres
goal, giving Aragonés his first trophy as Spain's manager, and the first for the country in 44 years.
Aragonés, apparently a superstitious person, made known his dislike for Spain's away kit which they had to wear during the crucial semifinal match against Russia. He insisted that the jerseys were "mustard" and not "yellow".
. During a training session in the same year, a Spanish TV crew filmed Aragonés trying to motivate José Antonio Reyes
by making offensive references about Reyes' Arsenal
black team-mate, Thierry Henry
, saying:
The incident caused uproar in the British
media with calls for Aragonés to be sacked. After an investigation into the events during the match, UEFA
fined the RFEF 100,000 Swiss francs/87,000 USD
(one day's wages) and warned that any future incidents would be punished more severely. UEFA
noted that possible punishments could include suspension from major international tournaments or the closure of Spain's home international matches to supporters.
In response to this, Aragones has said in public that he is not a racist, and claimed that he had black friends. Brazil
ian-born black midfielder Marcos Senna
stated:
He later took a swipe at England's colonial past in the build up to a match between the two national teams in November 2004 which was also overshadowed by racist abuse aimed at non-white English players. Palpably, the absence of strict measures against any of the aforementioned incidents contributed to the fury of English media and the football players alike and further dented Aragones's image in England.
Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
footballer and national coach.
Aragonés has spent the majority of his career as a player and coach at Atlético Madrid. He was a prominent player and then coach of the successful Atlético team of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The team won La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
four times, reached the final of the European Cup
European Cup 1973-74
The 1973–74 season of the European Cup football club tournament was won for the first time by Bayern Munich, beginning their own three year period of domination, in a replayed final against Atlético Madrid...
and won the Intercontinental Cup
Intercontinental Cup (football)
The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
. Between 1964 and 1974 he played 265 La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
games for Atlético and scored 123 goals. Aragonés has coached the club on four separate occasions. He has also played with several other clubs, most notably Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
, and played 11 times for Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, scoring three goals. Apart from Atlético he has also coached seven other La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
clubs as well as the Spanish national football team whom he led to their 2nd European Championship title in 2008. He became the head coach of the Turkish football team Fenerbahçe after Euro 2008, and this is the first time that Aragonés has coached outside of his native Spain.
Early career
Aragonés began his playing career with CD GetafeGetafe CF
Getafe Club de Fútbol is a Spanish La Liga football club based in Getafe, a city in the Madrid metropolitan area, founded in 1946 and refounded in 1983.In the top level since 2004-05, it holds home games at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez....
in 1957 and that was also where he picked up his nickname "the elf". In 1958 he signed for Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
but never made it into the senior team. He spent most of his time at Real Madrid on loan to other clubs, including Recreativo de Huelva
Recreativo de Huelva
Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 23 December 1889, it is the oldest football team in Spain, and currently plays in the second division, holding home games at Estadio Nuevo Colombino, which has a...
and Hércules CF
Hércules CF
Hércules Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Alicante, in the autonomous community of Valencia. Founded in 1922, it currently plays in the Spanish second division, and holds home games at the Estadio José Rico Pérez, which seats 30,000 spectators.-History:After first...
and Úbeda CF and playing for AD Plus Ultra
Real Madrid Castilla
Real Madrid Castilla is a Spanish football team that plays in the Segunda División B. It is the reserve team of Real Madrid. They play their home games at Alfredo di Stéfano Stadium....
, the Real Madrid reserve team
Reserve team
Large professional sports clubs often have far more players under contract than could possibly play in a match. As a result, many of these clubs create second teams composed of players who need playing time, but have little hope of playing on the first team. The players on this second team are...
. In 1960 he joined Real Oviedo
Real Oviedo
Real Oviedo is a Spanish football club based in Oviedo, in the autonomous community of Asturias. Founded on 26 March 1926, it currently plays in Segunda División B - Group 2....
and made his debut in the Primera Division
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
. Between 1961 and 1964 he played for Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
, making 86 league appearances and scoring 33 goals. He was part of the team champion of Euro 1964, being reserve in the quarterfinals against Ireland.
Atlético de Madrid
While at Atlético, Aragonés acquired the nicknameNickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
Zapatones, meaning big boots and he was known as a free kick
Direct free kick
A direct free kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football following a foul. Unlike an indirect free kick, a goal may be scored directly against the opposing side without the ball having first touched another player.-Award:...
specialist. He was a regular goalscorer and in 1970 he shared the Pichichi
The Pichichi Trophy
In Spanish football, the Pichichi is the trophy awarded by Spanish sports newspaper Marca to the top goalscorer for each league season. The award is named after the famous Athletic Bilbao player, Rafael Moreno "Pichichi"...
with his fellow Atlético forward José Eulogio Gárate
José Eulogio Gárate
José Eulogio Gárate Ormaechea is a former Argentine-Spanish footballer who played as a forward for SD Eibar, SD Indautxu, Atlético Madrid and Spain.-Club career:...
and Amancio
Amancio Amaro
Amancio Amaro Varela, commonly known simply as Amancio, is a former Spanish football player. Nicknamed El Brujo he played for Deportivo de La Coruña, Real Madrid and the Spanish national team....
. In 1974 he scored in the 1–1 draw with Bayern Munich as Atlético held the German team in the European Cup
European Cup 1973-74
The 1973–74 season of the European Cup football club tournament was won for the first time by Bayern Munich, beginning their own three year period of domination, in a replayed final against Atlético Madrid...
final before losing 4–0 in the replay. After retiring as a player Aragonés was appointed Atlético coach for the first time in 1974. He soon earned himself a new nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
, El Sabio de Hortaleza (The Wise Man from Hortaleza). But after Aragones started going to the gym he changed it to the "Ogre" because of his appearance and maximum trained muscles.
Spanish national football team
At the 2006 FIFA World Cup2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, Spain won all three group games before facing France in the Second Round. After taking the lead through David Villa
David Villa
David Villa Sánchez , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who currently plays as a striker for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national football team. He can also operate as a winger....
, they lost 3–1 following goals from Franck Ribéry
Franck Ribéry
Franck Ribéry is a French international footballer who currently plays for German club Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. He primarily plays as a winger, preferably on the left side, and is known for "pace, energy, skill and precise passing." Ribéry is described as a player who is "fast, tricky and...
, Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
and Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...
. At Euro 2008, Spain also won all three group games, beat 2006 World Cup champion Italy on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals, beat Russia 3–0 in the semifinal, and in the final defeated Germany 1–0 through a Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres
Fernando José Torres Sanz , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Spain national team as a striker....
goal, giving Aragonés his first trophy as Spain's manager, and the first for the country in 44 years.
Aragonés, apparently a superstitious person, made known his dislike for Spain's away kit which they had to wear during the crucial semifinal match against Russia. He insisted that the jerseys were "mustard" and not "yellow".
Thierry Henry incident
In 2004 Aragonés was appointed coach of SpainSpain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
. During a training session in the same year, a Spanish TV crew filmed Aragonés trying to motivate José Antonio Reyes
José Antonio Reyes
José Antonio Reyes Calderón is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Atlético Madrid.Mainly a left winger but also a forward, he made his professional debuts for hometown's Sevilla at only 16, signing with England's Arsenal aged 20.After a relatively successful career abroad, Reyes...
by making offensive references about Reyes' Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
black team-mate, Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
, saying:
The incident caused uproar in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
media with calls for Aragonés to be sacked. After an investigation into the events during the match, UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
fined the RFEF 100,000 Swiss francs/87,000 USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
(one day's wages) and warned that any future incidents would be punished more severely. UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
noted that possible punishments could include suspension from major international tournaments or the closure of Spain's home international matches to supporters.
In response to this, Aragones has said in public that he is not a racist, and claimed that he had black friends. Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian-born black midfielder Marcos Senna
Marcos Senna
Marcos Antônio Senna da Silva , known as Senna, is a Spanish footballer who plays for Villarreal CF as a central midfielder.He is known for his passing range and long shooting and is also a penalty specialist.-Club career:...
stated:
He later took a swipe at England's colonial past in the build up to a match between the two national teams in November 2004 which was also overshadowed by racist abuse aimed at non-white English players. Palpably, the absence of strict measures against any of the aforementioned incidents contributed to the fury of English media and the football players alike and further dented Aragones's image in England.
Manager
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Atlético Madrid |  |
1974 | 1980 |
|||||
| Real Betis Real Betis Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín.... |
|
1981 | 1982 |
|||||
| Atlético Madrid | |
1982 | 1987 |
|||||
| Barcelona FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.... |
|
1987 | 1988 |
|||||
| Espanyol RCD Espanyol Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009... |
|
1990 | 1991 |
|||||
| Atlético Madrid | |
1991 | 1993 |
|||||
| Sevilla Sevilla FC Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA... |
|
1993 | 1995 |
|||||
| Valencia Valencia CF Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the... |
|
1995 | 1997 |
|||||
| Real Betis Real Betis Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín.... |
|
1997 | 1998 |
|||||
| Real Oviedo Real Oviedo Real Oviedo is a Spanish football club based in Oviedo, in the autonomous community of Asturias. Founded on 26 March 1926, it currently plays in Segunda División B - Group 2.... |
|
1999 | 2000 |
|||||
| Mallorca RCD Mallorca Real Club Deportivo Mallorca is a Spanish football team based on Palma, Majorca, in the Balearic Islands. Founded on 5 March 1916, the team currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at Son Moix.... |
|
2000 | 2001 |
|||||
| Atlético Madrid | |
2001 | 2003 |
|||||
| Mallorca RCD Mallorca Real Club Deportivo Mallorca is a Spanish football team based on Palma, Majorca, in the Balearic Islands. Founded on 5 March 1916, the team currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at Son Moix.... |
|
2003 | 2004 |
|||||
| Spain | |
2004 | 2008 |
|||||
| Fenerbahce |  |
2008 | 2009 |
|||||
| Total |
||||||||
Club
Atlético Madrid-
- La LigaLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
: 1966, 1970, 1973 - Copa del Generalísimo: 1965, 1972
- La Liga
Manager
Atlético Madrid-
- La LigaLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
: 1977 - Copa del ReyCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 1976, 1985, 1992 - Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (football)The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
: 1974 - Supercopa de EspañaSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
: 1985 - Segunda DivisionSegunda DivisiónThe Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
: 2002 - Iberian CupIberian CupThe Iberian Cup, also called Iberian Supercup, was an international competition between clubs from Portugal and Spain, disputed by two teams that were champions in a major competition, very much alike a Supercup, to find out which was the best team from Iberian Peninsula...
: 1991 BarcelonaFC BarcelonaFutbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.... - Copa del ReyCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 1988
- La Liga
Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
-
- UEFA European Football Championship: 2008
Individual
- Pichichi Trophy: 1969–70
- Don Balón AwardDon Balón AwardFrom 1976 until 2010, the Spanish magazine Don Balón confered the Don Balón Award to the best Spanish player, the best foreign player, the best referee, and the breakthrough player in La Liga...
for Best coach in La LigaLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
: 1977