Luis Aragones: Emotional El Sabio overwhelmed by praises

July 4, 2008

Luis Aragones, Coach of the European Champions Spain, admitted that he was feeling ‘overwhelmed’ with the galore of praises that he received from all the players in his squad.

Speaking from Spain, 69-year-old coach, also known as El Sabio (which means ‘The Wise Man’ in Spanish) in his hometown, received plaudits from everyone after Spain defeated Germany 1-0 this past Sunday and ended the draught of Championships in the country, which had only one victory in the major tournament more than 44 years ago.

He was feeling overwhelmed and emotional with the whole situation confronting him. Although a man known for his strong approach to the game, he was touched by the support of his side after their history-making EURO 2008 victory.

After a tour around the Spanish Capital of Madrid in an open-top bus on Monday, the whole Spanish squad met the royal family of the nation along with Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Prime Minister of Spain, on Tuesday.

After the tour speaking to reporters for the last time in Spanish colors, Aragones, who retired immediately following the tournament, spoke of his experience with his side during his tenure, where a nation realized their dreams of becoming Champions and proving their critics wrong.

He said that he was proud of managing some of the best players in the world. According to him, it was their efforts that got him enthusiastic in each game and eventually won the title for the team. He even implored the Champions of continuing their impressive show under the new coach.

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