Aragones Still Intent On Departing

There have been calls for Aragones to stay on as national team boss, in the wake of a rich vein of form that has seen Spain go undefeated since losing to Sweden in October 2006.

The Spaniards avenged that defeat with a 2-1 victory in their Group D match, with David Villa securing the late win.

Aragones insists that he is proud of his team’s displays so far, but he will not reconsider his position when the tournament ends.

He said: "I'm proud that my work is being viewed in a positive light and still more proud that I'm going to be able to leave behind a really important group of players in the Spain squad.

“But I told the Federation and announced to all of you in the media that I'm leaving, no matter how this tournament finishes.

“So I'd like to put my thanks on record to those who supported me, sometimes when it was pretty hard. But even the critics have been good for me.

“So thanks, too, to the people who didn't give me support, their attitudes made me reflect and think even more about my choices and decisions. For any man, in any walk of life, that's important."

Spain have overcome a pair of significant weaknesses with their defeat of Italy on Sunday. Firstly, they had not been beyond the final eight since competing against Denmark in the Euro ‘84 semi final.

Since that penalty shoot-out victory, the Spanish have struggled to make a positive impact on the dreaded shoot-out, more so, on the date of June 22^nd.

In 1986, 1996 and 2002, Spain were defeated on penalties on this date, to Belgium, England and South Korea respectively. Overcoming the penalty problem and indeed, the quarter-final glass ceiling are both important factors for Aragones.

He continued:" I think that it was a little handicap that we always had to talk about our ceiling being the quarter-final, perhaps that was doing us a little bit of damage. But what we took from the World Cup defeat to France two years ago was that you mustn't play better than a team and then lose to them. I've taught them that if you can't win a match then, at least, don't lose.

"If you've got a goalkeeper like Iker Casillas, who's been fundamental to my work with Spain, then you've always got a chance." Casillas came in for high praise from Aragones, who described him as "a ten out of ten in every aspect – as a goalkeeper, as a captain and as a man."

Aragones was joined in the dressing-room after the quarter-final by no less a man than King Juan Carlos, with whom he shared a joke.

The 69-year-old said: "He gave me the Gold Medal for Sport some years ago and I joked then that a wage rise might be more appropriate. When I raised it again on Sunday, the King said we were doing fine, but the wages were staying the same.”

After speaking to one of his grandchildren following Cesc Fabregas’ decisive kick, Aragones admitted to shedding a tear, although he said: “I'm not the type to get emotional easily, or to be nervous and not watch the penalties. I watched every one because I just knew our boys would win it."