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Spain names del Bosque as successor to Aragones

The Spanish soccer federation hired Vicente del Bosque to replace Luis Aragones as coach of Spain on Tuesday.

The 57-year-old former Real Madrid coach agreed to a two-year contract that would see him guide the European champions through to the 2010 World Cup.

Del Bosque and his coaching staff are expected to be presented today. He has already hinted that he would not change the style of play that led Spain to its first major trophy in 44 years last month.

This isn’t the first time that del Bosque has flirted with the position.

The Salamanca native was linked with the Spain job soon after being fired from Real Madrid five years ago. But Aragones replaced Inaki Saez following a first-round exit at Euro 2004 in Portugal.

The 69-year-old Aragones stepped down from the national team earlier this month to lead Turkish club Fenerbahce for the next two seasons. Aragones lost only four games during his 54-match tenure, his 38 victories leaving him top of Spain’s all-time coaching list.

Del Bosque will officially become the country’s 50th national coach on Aug. 20 when Spain plays an international friendly in Denmark — the team’s first match since its Euro 2008 triumph. World Cup qualifiers against Bosnia-Herzegovia and Armenia await in September.

Del Bosque led Madrid to two European Champions League triumphs, two league titles and a European Supercup during three and a half years in charge, one of the most successful spells in the club’s history.

Surprisingly, he was fired one day after guiding the Spanish powerhouse to its record 29th Spanish league title.

Praised for his ability to handle Madrid’s galacticos — who included Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo — del Bosque inherits a Spanish team considered to have more of a collective spirit than the individuality that reigned during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Del Bosque went on to coach Turkish club Besiktas after Madrid but was fired after seven months.

He reportedly was offered the chance to take over Mexico following their second-round at the 2006 World Cup, but passed and supposedly was in the running for a return to Madrid prior to last season before Bernd Schuster won the job.
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