Vicente Del Bosque Finally Shows Emotion
Vicente del Bosque is one of the most successful coaches in international football, and one of the most humbly spoken. On Sunday, he added football’s most prestigious prize to his already illustrious list of achievements.
A product of Spanish club Real Madrid, Del Bosque won five titles at the club as a player between 1974 and 1980. Between 1999 and 2003, Del Bosque returned to his playing club as a manager, becoming the most successful Real Madrid coach of all time.
During his four seasons in charge of the club, Del Bosque guided the club to two La Liga victories, two Champions League trophies, and one victory in the Spanish Super Cup.
Presiding over a squad abundant with talent, with the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Madrid-born striker Raúl González in its ranks, Del Bosque had delivered tremendous results to a club he had dedicated his life to.
Struggling to balance its desire to play attractive, star-studded football with the necessity of winning titles, Real Madrid has never been as successful since its president Florentino Perez sacked Del Bosque at the end of the 2003 season.
Del Bosque, devastated to leave the club he had spent his footballing life with, waited one year before joining Turkish side Besiktas in 2004.
Having achieved a modest 4th place in the Turkish league, Del Bosque left the side after one season and did not take on any further assignments until taking charge of Spain in 2008.
At that time, the Spanish side had just won the UEFA European Championships with Luis Aragones in charge.
Del Bosque, a quietly operating coach with a high degree of professionalism, provided a stark contrast to the lively and outspoken former coach Aragones when he took over the Spanish side.
The son of a railway worker, Del Bosque is known for his discipline, both as a player and a coach. He is reported to read most newspaper accounts of his team’s performances, but never expresses displeasure with the criticism he receives from the outside.
It is highly characteristic of the 59 year-old manager not to respond to criticism, much of which has come from his predecessor Aragones, or to show emotion when his players score.
When Carles Puyol headed in the winning goal for Spain in last week’s semi-final match against Germany, Del Bosque remained unmoved on the bench, containing the joy and pride he was feeling for his team.
At the end of the game, Del Bosque avoided the rampant celebrations, shook the opposing coach Joachim Low’s hand, and retreated to the dressing room.
"I don't know what my reaction will be," he told The Associated Press after the game.
"These are spontaneous things, not prefabricated, and I take an enormous amount of satisfaction every time we score a goal."
Del Bosque is equally reserved in his managing style, allowing his diverse squad of players to develop their own interference without excessive interference by the coach.
Critics will point to a lack of leadership here, and Del Bosque may hear them, but he does not respond. And after all is said and done, his results usually speak for themselves.
Given his reserved nature, it is all the more telling that Sunday’s game had Del Bosque yelling directions at his players from the sidelines.
The veteran manager knew a lot was at stake in Spain's first ever World Cup final.
When Andres Iniesta bagged the winning goal for Spain in the 116th minute, Del Bosque was seen with his hands in the air on the sidelines. Finally, some emotion had erupted from the coach.
After the game, Del Bosque was ecstatic, not for himself, not even for his team, but for his nation.
“Spain, the country, deserves this triumph, this World Cup,” he told the press after the historic victory.
“This goes beyond sport and we have to celebrate. All the people have been behind us in Spain, and we’re delighted to reward them with this victory.”
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