Spain Coach Vicente del Bosque Assures Bernabeu Return Won’t Be Awkward

The often dead-pan coach has promised that he will not let the emotions of his homecoming get in the way of helping Spain beat Turkey.

Mar 27, 2009 8:22:53 AM

More On :  Real Madrid CF, Spain, Vicente Del Bosque, Spain vs Turkey
Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque talks with Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos during a training session

Vicente del Bosque will make his first ever coaching return to Real Madrid's Estadio Santiago Bernabeu since he was sacked by the club back in 2003 when he follows Spain out for the World Cup qualifying tussle with Turkey this Saturday.

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The moustachioed coach, who often wears a poker face on the touchline during games, has admitted that he doesn’t know what the emotions will be like when he takes a seat in the Bernabeu dugout again but he assured that it will not get in the way of him doing his job. 

“I am an emotional person, but I’m not nostalgic,” he said during one pre-match interview.

“I do not know what I will feel when I’m sitting on the bench at the Bernabeu, but the responsibility to win against Turkey will help me ensure that I do not think about the past.”

Del Bosque spent 35 years in total as a Blanco before taking over the first team hot-seat between 1999 and 2003, winning two Champions League titles, two Primera Division trophies, a Spanish Supercopa, a UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup. And it will be these fond memories that will also ensure he does not feel any resentment at the way he was eventually dismissed.

“In general, I have had more happy memories than painful ones when I was in charge of Madrid,” he offered.

“Everything that happened occurred for a reason and, had it not been that way, I would never have been selected as the coach of the national team. And to be able to lead Spain fills me with great pride and satisfaction. It makes me happy.”

Aside from the throng of Madrid fans who will be present at the Bernabeu to watch la Furia Roja, the trainer is also expected to get plenty of support from close friends and families, including fellow coaches, Jose Antonio Camacho, Mariano Garcia Remon and Alberto Garcia, as well as his wife, Mari, and his three children, Alvaro, Gema and Vicen.

The match will kick-off at 22:00 CET. Spain currently lead Group 5 of the UEFA World Cup qualifying zone, four points ahead of Turkey. 

KS Leong, Goal.com
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