Aragonés raring to go at Fenerbahçe

Five days after bringing the Henri Delaunay trophy back to Madrid, Spain's UEFA EURO 2008™-winning coach Luis Aragonés has taken up a fresh challenge with Turkish side Fenerbahçe SK.

Confirmation
The move, pre-empted by an announcement on the Istanbul club's website but then played down by the coach in the week building up to Spain's final victory over Germany, was confirmed today. Aragonés, 69, has signed a two-year contract to replace Zico, a Turkish Süper Lig winner in 2006/07 and UEFA Champions League quarter-finalist last season, the club's best European performance.

New era
The Spaniard said: "This move will be beneficial to both parties and will bring trophies. Another big period in my life is starting, and our first task will be to get through the [UEFA] Champions League qualifiers." Fenerbahçe face Hungarian title-holders MTK Budapest in the second qualifying round, starting later this month. Aragonés's treasure trove of experience includes spells coaching Club Atlético de Madrid, FC Barcelona, Sevilla FC, Valencia CF, RCD Espanyol, Real Betis Balompié, Real Oviedo and RCD Mallorca. Aragonés had been in charge of Spain since the qualifying campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.