Sadness as Spanish football loses one of its most loved figures

As the wonderfully potty-mouthed Manolo Preciado himself would have said, “f**k”.

At around the same time as football fans were reading in Thursday’s morning papers that Preciado had been named as the new Villarreal coach and was to be presented on Friday, the news began filtering through that the 54-year-old had passed away overnight having suffered a heart attack.

Instantly, the front pages of the four main sports sites in Spain lead with the news of the loss, firmly relegating the European Championships into second place. This may not have been the case for any other manager with CV such as his. Preciado was a Cantabrian coach who had roots at Racing Santander - where he had spent time as a player in the late 70s and early 80s, but who found most success at Sporting, a side whom he lead into la Primera in 2008 and staying there against the odds until this summer. In an unhappy end to his time at El Molinón, Preciado was sacked mid-season after nearly six years at the helm.

However, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Manolo Preciado was one of the most loved and respected figures in the Spanish game, which is why tributes poured in so rapidly when the news broke of such a tragic loss to the sport.

read the rest at La Liga Loca

this was such awful news to wake up to. rest in peace, Manolo. you and your no-nonsense way of talking and your magnificent mustache will be terribly missed.