Del Bosque: I voted for Guardiola to win Fifa Coach of the Year

Nov 29, 2012 6:45:00 PM

The Spain boss has revealed his selection for the prize and insists that his choice has nothing to do with any alleged animosity towards Real Madrid

Vicente del Bosque says he has voted for Pep Guardiola to win the 2012 Fifa Coach of the Year award.

The Spain coach was named on the final three-man shortlist for the prize, along with the former Barcelona boss and Jose Mourinho on Thursday and gave the reasons for his selection.

"I voted for Guardiola because he is an important figure within our football," he told Terra.

"I did not do it on a whim, to support Barcelona or because of any 'anti-madridismo'. It would be good if he went back to work. He is young, has added things to the game and is passionate about this sport."

Del Bosque has also been impressed with the transition at Camp Nou since Tito Vilanova replaced Guardiola at the helm during the summer.

"Tito has taken over naturally. The important thing is that he has been able to maintain the enthusiasm of these players, who have won so much."

The 61-year-old's next major assignment will be getting Spain ready to particpate in next summer's Confederations Cup and the former Real Madrid boss says preparation is absolutely paramount if his side are to continue their dominance.

"It will be a test ahead of the next World Cup. Our last experience of the competition before South Africa was good because we got to know everything that was waiting for us ahead of the World Cup," he added.

"In Spain we have lost a lot of the fear [we had before] of promoting a player from the cantera. Clubs are conscious they have to take care of them and that benefits the national team. We have to trust the youngsters because they are very talented kids."

Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Sign up today with Coral and get a £50 FREE bet - no strings attached!
Sign up today with BetVictor and get a £25 FREE BET!

play

open

Inside Goal.Com

BVB's rise from the abyss to European contenders
BVB have recovered from teetering on the edge of bankruptcy to take their place on Europe's grandest stage, humbling their opponents on Saturday, Bayern Munich, along the way
Transfer Talk: Mourinho wants six new signings
Get your daily dose of all the speculation from around the globe as clubs cast their eye towards summer reinforcements
Soulless EPL must face up to grim reality
After a season marred by controversy and a failure of its top teams to put up a credible Champions League challenge, the world's supposed best league is falling behind
Bayern's jinx - CL final referee Nicola Rizzoli
Goal takes a look at the career of the Italian arbiter to date following Uefa's decision to appoint the 41-year-old for Saturday's showpiece at Wembley
Cartoon: Injured Gotze ready to 'do a Terry'
Goal.com cartoonist Omar Momani gives us his unique take on the football news of the day