As for Aragonés… I’ve been aware of him since I was about ten, when he was coming to the end of his spell at Valencia and was about to join Betis. But I am fully aware of his record; at managerial level, he has had a series of superb successes (probably for me the highlight is taking Mallorca to 3rd, or rejuvenizing the Barcelona squad after Venables’ dismissal). So please don’t insinuate that all English fans only know about the Henry incident; with the throwaway reference to it, I was attempting to be humorous, and failing obviously. And the general reaction to the comment does not detract from the wrongness of what was said (and yes I am fully aware of the fact that the word “negro” is used much more often here in Spain than in England, and that it is not uncommon to refer to someone as being a “mierda”, but the conjunction of the two is telling at least on an unconscious level).

What Raul has is enormous caché, because he a) was the best spanish player for a very long period of time, b) was a young promise that came good as an adult professional and c) plays for Real Madrid. Because of the first two points, the third continues to be true, because had he been any other player in any other circumstances he’d have been shipped out long ago. The third point, means his fans and those keen to rush to his defense are legion.

As to Aragonés, what he’s done can be judged on its own terms without having to use it as a justification or an explanation for Raul’s absence. But he’s been coaching since most of us (myself included) were born, and I’d wager most people outside Spain didn’t even know much about him until the Henry affair – which was little more than a jingoistic smear campaign orchestrated by the English press in the buildup to the Spain-England friendly a few years ago.

I often disagree with Aragones’s decisiones, and he really should have left (as he said he would) after Spain’s disappointing World Cup exit in 2006. But on this decision, he is spot on. Raul does not deserve to play for the national team, as he does not deserve to play for Real Madrid, and by doing so he hurts both sides.

Spain did start the last World Cup in flying form, and even dominated France for the first half. But Aragonés has never impressed me much to be honest, especially in the man-managing department.

That whole Thierry Henry incident aside, I was never impressed by Aragonés’s coaching capabilities. With the huge boatload of technical talent they possess, I expected the playing style of the Spanish national team at the last Euro and World Cup to be something more. One has to wonder how the Spanish coach earned his nickname of The Wise Man of Hortaleza.

In the end, one can compare this situation with that of David Trezeguet and Raymond Domenech. Much to the liking of Aragonés and Spain, it’s such a shame to see a team as talented as France being coached by an absolute idiot.