MADRID, Spain -- Luis Aragones, the former Spain coach who shaped the teams rise from perennial underachiever to global powerhouse with a long-awaited title at the 2008 European Championship, has died. Authentic Vladimir Ducasse Jersey . He was 75. The Spanish football federation announced the death early Saturday, saying Aragones died at a Madrid hospital. He had been battling leukemia. Federation president Angel Maria Villar said Aragones would be remembered as "very special" -- both for his contributions to Spanish football and as a person. "With him we have lived the beginning of an extraordinary phase in football as well as for Spanish society," Villar said. "This has been a painful dawn for our football." Aragones had a successful playing career as a sharpshooting international forward who earned 11 caps for Spain, and then spent the rest of his life as a much-travelled coach. However, he will mostly be remembered for what happened on June 29, 2008, when his team beat Germany 1-0 in Vienna to claim its first major title in 44 years. "Luis Aragones changed the history of Spanish football," Spain captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas said. "And for that we will always be thankful." The Euro 2008 triumph was the culmination of Aragones four-year reign as Spain coach, having taken over a team that for the last 20 years had earned a reputation for always coming up short in major tournaments. But Aragones instilled a new sense of belief in his players, even after losing to France in the second round of the 2006 World Cup. He also made the team adopt the quick-passing "tiki-taka" style of football made famous by Barcelona, and which his players came close to perfecting at Euro 2008. Led by Barcelona midfielders Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta -- and the goalscoring of David Villa -- Spain went undefeated through the tournament, but needed a penalty shootout against Italy to advance from the quarterfinals. While Aragones stepped down after the tournament, the team went on to win its first World Cup two years later and then added an unprecedented third straight major title at Euro 2012 under his successor Vicente del Bosque. "Without a doubt, our current run of success is a result of his legacy," Del Bosque said on Saturday, after paying his respects to Aragones family. "He had a long history of coaching experience and he had a special appreciation for the game." But Aragones time in charge wasnt without controversy. He made a racist slur about France striker Thierry Henry -- who is black -- during a training session in October, 2004, and followed that remark with an outburst about Englands colonial past. His comments were believed to have prompted ugly racist chants directed at Englands black players during a friendly against Spain in Madrid. The Spanish Football Federation refused to bow to pressure to fire Aragones, although it fined him 3,000 euros, a punishment which many felt was too lenient. Denying he was a racist, Aragones explained that his comment about Henry was an attempt to motivate forward Jose Antonio Reyes, and he received important backing from several black players he had coached previously. In February, 2007, Aragones won a legal appeal against the Spanish Committee for Sporting Disciplines ruling that his behaviour could have fostered "violent, racist or xenophobic acts." Spanish media also often complained about his grouchy demeanour and had regularly called for his dismissal during the two years before the teams triumph. There was another uproar toward the end of 2006 when he dropped the national teams all-time leading scorer and captain, Real Madrids Raul Gonzalez, arguing that he was past his prime. It proved a masterstroke. The team embarked on a 22-game unbeaten run which culminated with the 2008 title, making Aragones the oldest coach to win a European Championship title. Despite the victory, the Spanish federation made no attempt to persuade him to extend his contract and five days later he moved abroad for the first time to take charge of Turkish club Fenerbahce, a couple of weeks before his 70th birthday. "Im leaving because there wasnt more done for me to stay," Aragones said at the time. His playing career began 43 years earlier, when Aragones joined Atletico Madrid. He scored 123 times in 265 games for the team -- the second highest in its history -- and helped the club win three Spanish league titles and two Copa del Reys. It also reached the 1974 European Cup final, where it lost to Bayern Munich in a replay. Aragones, nicknamed "The Sage of Hortaleza" in reference to the Madrid suburb of his birth, was then appointed as Atletico coach and led the team to the 1975 World Club Championship, the 1976 Copa del Rey and the 1977 league title. He coached Atletico on a total of five occasions and he had two spells each at Mallorca and Real Betis. He was also in charge of Barcelona, Espanyol, Sevilla, Valencia and Oviedo in a career total of 757 games, a Spanish league record. Aragones is survived by his wife Pepa, five children and 11 grandchildren. Authentic Ramon Humber Jersey . The Los Angeles Clippers showed them just how ugly that life could be. Jared Dudley scored a season-high 21 points, Chris Paul added 16 points and 17 assists, and the Clippers jumped all over the Bulls in Roses absence for a 121-82 victory Sunday. Cheap Bills Jerseys Authentic . The Argentina striker has not played for the Premier League leaders since September when he refused to warm up during a Champions League match and only returned last week from a three-month unauthorized absence at home. City coach Roberto Mancini had initially told Tevez he would never play for City again after his act of public insubordination, but later softened his stance and only asked for an apology. http://www.cheapbillsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-patrick-dimarco-jersey . A larger-than-life personality known for his intimidating style in the 18-yard box, Schmeichels career spanned some 20 years -- including a memorable tenure at Manchester United.FRANKFURT, Germany -- Germany coach Joachim Loew made a surprising last-minute change in his preliminary World Cup squad on Wednesday, calling up midfielder Christoph Kramer and dropping forward Andre Hahn. Loew also cut three players from the group that will go to a training camp next week. Kramer, who plays for Borussia Moenchengladbach, made his international debut in the 0-0 draw against Poland on Tuesday. Experienced defender Marcell Jansen of Hamburger SV and Schalke midfielders Leon Goretzka and Max Meyer were placed on call, but will not travel to the camp in northern Italy and the World Cup in Brazil unless a member of the squad suffers an injury. Kramer was the unexpected beneficiary of the bland match against Poland. Loew said he needed back-up for the central midfield because several players are recovering from injury. "This decision has nothing to do with the performance of Andre Hahn, we were very pleased with him," Loew said. "The reasons are purely linked to the position. We have several central midfield players who have been injured recently and some who are coming off long layoffs. So we want to have another option and to be prepared for all eventualities. Christoph Kramer left a very good impression," Loew said. Hahn is nominally an attacking mmidfielder, whose speed makes him a perfect counter-attacking player. Authentic Siran Neal Jersey. He led Augsburg with 12 goals this season. Kramer is a hard-working central midfielder who is known for covering a lot of ground. He could step in if Sami Khedira or Bastian Schweinsteiger fail to regain full fitness. Khedira has played one full match since a knee injury in November and Schweinsteiger is nursing a knee problem. The domestic season ends on Saturday with the German Cup final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. A dozen Germany players are on both sides and will join the national team after the final. Loew decided to drop Jansen although the position of left back is seen as a problem spot on the team. "Marcell was injured in March in the friendly against Chile and although he is healthy again, his fitness is still not optimal, he hasnt played much," Loew said. As for Goretzka and Meyer, Loew said they were young players the future ahead of them. Germany plays Cameroon on June 1, after which Loew will announce his final 23-man squad. Germany will host Armenia on June 6, one day before flying to Brazil. Germany opens its World Cup campaign on June 16 against Portugal, then plays Ghana on June 21 and ends the group stage against the United States on June 26. Cheap Steelers Jerseys Cheap Patriots Jerseys Cheap Bills Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Giants Jerseys Cheap Redskins Jerseys Cheap Bears Jerseys Cheap Eagles Jerseys Cheap Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Raiders Jerseys Cheap Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Panthers Jerseys Cheap Lions Jerseys Cheap Browns Jerseys ' ' '