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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. Julius Thomas Youth 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. Marqise Lee Jersey . Sources tell TSN that union executives travelled to select CFL cities Monday to open dialogue with players and answer questions. After the tentative deal was reached Saturday night, several players posted messages of frustration and disappointment on social media - and that carried over into Sunday on both the web and the field. Julius Thomas Womens Jersey . Johansen scored twice and Derek MacKenzie, Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson also had goals to lead the Blue Jackets to a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night, ending a three-game losing skid. Cheap Marqise Lee Jersey, Womens Elite Marqise Lee Jaguars Jerseys . Masahiro Tanaka has touched down in the United States and the courting of the Rakuten Golden Eagles stud pitcher has begun in earnest by a bevy of MLB teams interested in the Japanese ace.TORONTO -- His Nigerian first name is Chinedu, which means "God guides us." His surname, Dike (pronounced DEE-kay), translates into "strength." But in North America he goes by his English middle name, Bright. Toronto FC manager Ryan Nelsen expects Bright Dike to live up to his last name, promising the newly acquired forward will cause havoc in front of goal. Its easy to see why. Listed at six foot one and 220 pounds, Dike is a load. Asked to describe his style of play, the 26-year-old Dike pointed to his body. "If you havent seen me play, you can look at me and just tell Im big, strong, athletic, fast," he said matter-of-factly. "(An) aerial threat as well. You can look for me to play a No. 9 role and help this team out. Hopefully Im another weapon he (Nelsen) can use." Dikes voice is as big as his body, with a booming sound that would do well on CNN voiceovers. Dike is ready to see action Wednesday against the visiting Chicago Fire (10-11-5), although Nelsen says he will ease in the new forward given his comeback from February knee surgery and lack of preparation time in Toronto. "Bright brings something that we just dont have, in terms of the pace and the power," Nelsen said Tuesday after practice. Toronto also got a first-round pick in 2015 and allocation money in shipping Argentine striker Maximiliano Urruti and a 2013 international roster spot to the Portland Timbers. Toronto will also get 20 per cent of a future transfer fee if Portland sells Urruti. "Its a really good deal for us," said Nelsen. Nelsen is short on offensive weapons and it has shown in the standings. Toronto FC (4-13-10) has scored 23 goals, which ranks 18th in the 19-team league. The much-injured Danny Koevermans returned to training Tuesday but will likely need more time before he is game-ready. That leaves Robert Earnshaw, Andrew Wiedeman and Justin Braun up front. While Dike trained Tuesday, he may take time to settle in given his surgically repaired knee. "We want to protect him," Nelsen said. "Hes here for the long-term." In Portland, he was an unused substitute twice and played 80 minutes in a reserve game prior to being traded. With Toronto saying it is after two designated player strikers in the January transfer window, Dike will probably play the role of an impact substitute next season. Chris Ivory Jaguars Jersey. Dike, born to Nigerian parents in Oklahoma City, has been restricted to 23 games (nine starts) in his three MLS seasons due to a ruptured Achilles tendon in 2011 and his knee surgery this year. But healthy last season, he scored five goals in 12 games. His knee injury was a freak one, with two players falling on the same leg from two different directions. Dike was durable during his college days at Notre Dame, where he played 86 games. With the MLS roster freeze looming Friday at 5 p.m. ET, Nelsen says he has been entertaining a lot of calls. "Weve been getting a lot of options for a lot of our players," he said. The plan for two new DP strikers means the writing is on the wall for Koevermans, whose contact expires at the end of the season. Toronto, which also has midfielder Matias Laba as a designated player, is limited to three DPs. Koevermans, a 34-year-old Dutch forward who makes a team-leading US$1.66 million this season, has played just 78 minutes this year. "When hes played for Toronto, hes been incredible," said Nelsen. "His goals-to-games ratio has been really good. And if we had a fully fit Danny Koevermans, we probably wouldnt be standing here, wed be in a really nice position in the league. "But unfortunately we just havent had it. Thats life. But again Dannys got seven games and if he can do really well, theres always a door open for Danny." Koevermans has 17 goals in his 30 games (22 starts) for Toronto. NOTES -- Dike has worn 19 most of his playing career but that belongs to Reggie Lambe in Toronto. So Dike will wear seven. "No. 7s a good number. I dont think anybody cares what number youre wearing as long as youre scoring goals." ... Torontos four Canadian internationals were back at training Tuesday, thanks to the Canadian Soccer Association freeing them up from a second friendly in Spain against Mauritania ... 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