Meet the Manager

From here on out, “Meet the [fill in the blank]” will be a regular feature here at the Spain WC blog and what better place to start than at the top. Luis Aragones has been in charge of Spain’s national team ever since Spain’s Euro 2004 campaign. Under Luis, Spain has not lost a match, winning 12 matches and drawing six. That record includes a 6-0-6 WC Qualifying record.

Why you know him: Outside of Spain, he’s best known for the infamous “insensitive” remark made about Thierry Henry during a Spain training session. It was caught by TV cameras and drama, as it should, ensued. In the end, his punishment was a paltry fine.

My friends call me: In many Spanish papers, Aragones is simply known as “Luis”. Pretty amazing, how many Luis’ are there in Spain? You can’t buy that kind of fame. I suppose it’s like the American media referring to Hillary Rodham Clinton as just “Hillary” or worldcupblog.org identifying me as simply “Ian.” I’m in exclusive company.

How many pages is this resume? Luis is considered a globetrotter of Spanish soccer. It would almost be easier to list the teams he hasn’t managed/played for than to list the ones he has. The highlight of his playing career came at Atletico Madrid, where he won a league scoring title. He also guided the mattress makers to a Spanish double in 1996.