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. Detroit Lions Jerseys China . 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. Stitched Detroit Lions Jerseys .com) - The Carolina Panthers won for the first time in seven games last week, were without Cam Newton due to a car accident this week, but somehow sit atop the much-maligned NFC South. Cheap Detroit Lions Jerseys Online . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. http://www.cheaplions.com/ . The question is how many minutes will be available to them and can any of their defence or goaltending provide value? Top Picks: Following a down year in 2011-2012, Matt Duchene rebounded with his highest points-per-game (0.WINNIPEG -- Former head coach Dave Ritchie doesnt have to think too long and hard when asked about the highlight of his six seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Ritchie coached the Bombers from 1999 to 2004, taking the team to the Grey Cup in 2001 after a first-place finish in the East and 14-4 season. They lost the Grey Cup that year to the Calgary Stampeders. "Probably watching that 2001 team play," he picked as his high-water mark. "(Quarterback) Khari Jones won I believe 12 games in a row. Then I rested a few guys. Probably if I had to do it all over again, I wouldnt have rested those seven or eight guys." The Bombers are inducting Ritchie, along with defensive linemen Tony Norman and Jim Heighton, into their Hall of Fame on Oct. 22 at the teams Legacy Dinner. Former Board member Bill Morton, who helped create the Hall of Fame, is also being inducted. Ritchie was on the phone for the announcement from his home in the U.S. and says he still remembers how great that 2001 team was, with players like Jones and receiver Milt Stegall, both already in the Bombers Hall of Fame. "I loved the players, I loved Winnipeg," he said. "Thank you very much." He retired from the CFL in 2008, after being passed over for head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders in favour of Ken Miller. Ritchie also coached the B.C. Lions for three seasons, winning a Grey Cup in 11994, and coached Montreal in 1997 and 1998, before taking over in Winnipeg. Discount Detroit Lions Jerseys. He sits third on Winnipegs list of most coaching wins at 52, behind Cal Murphy at 86 and the legendary Bud Grant at 102. Heighton played for the Bombers from 1970 to 1978 and Norman from 1980 to 1986. Norman says it was Grant, then coach of the NFLs Minnesota Vikings, who cut him at camp and set him up with the job in Winnipeg. After spending a decade leading the Bombers to four Grey Cup wins, Grant went on to coach the Vikings for a total of 18 seasons, with four losing trips to the Super Bowl. "Monday morning Bud Grant said Norman, you had a pretty good game, but you really dont have a lot of football savvy so Im going to send you to Winnipeg," recalled Norman, who, like Murphy, was linked by phone. "So I came to Winnipeg. I tell you, (coach) Ray Jauch and (general manager) Earl Lunsford, as you guys were talking about earlier, just welcomed me in with open arms. From 1980 to 86 it was an incredible ride." His time included a Grey Cup win in 1984. Heighton, who still lives on his farm on the edge of Winnipeg, played 141 games with the Bombers and was a two-time West all-star in 1972 and 1974. He said it was both moving and exciting to get the call. "It was like wow, theyd forgotten me for so many years, I thought Id just got buried and put away," he said. 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