Spain coach Luis Aragones doesn't plan on calling it quits after the European Championship.
Aragones told a television audience on Tuesday that his experience will keep him working beyond his 70 years regardless of Spain's showing at Euro 2008. Preferably outside of Spain.
"I don't consider myself old. I'll be finished with the national team inside three months but I intend to continue coaching," was Aragones' reply to one of the questions posed to him by a live television audience.
The former Atletico Madrid coach appeared on the program to present himself in a better light due to an often rocky relationship with the Spanish press. Aragones said he wanted to defend the sport and his image.
"The insults bug me. Today, a coach isn't respected," Aragones told the audience of 60 Spaniards from a cross section of society.
Spain goes into Euro 2008 determined to shake the underachiever tag that has followed it since the 1964 European Championship — the sole major trophy won by a country known for producing skilled players.
Javier Llorente Bravo, a 31-year-old from Coruna, asked: What is Spain missing?
"We're studying what (Italy, France, Germany) do that makes them better than us," said Aragones. "(Italy) is worse than us technically but they have other virtues in which they exceed us." He noted defense.
The audience was comprised of 18 Real Madrid members, who tended to gravitate to the same question: What about Raul?
Raul Gonzalez — Spain's all-time leading goalscorer with 44 goals in 102 games — hasn't featured since a 3-2 Euro 2008 qualifying loss to Northern Ireland in September 2006.
"We lost to an inferior rival. My coaching team and I started to look at rejuvenating the group," Aragones explained. "No doubt that Raul is an important player to his team and one of the most important ever for the national team. But my conscious is clean ... I can sleep at night."
Aragones brushed aside claims that he used a racist term against France striker Thierry Henry to motivate one of his players four years ago.
"It was a compliment to Henry. I called him the best because he was the best. Henry told me he was flattered," Aragones said.
He also ruled out any official match between Spain and the Basque national team.
"It's like this because you are not a country," Aragones said. "You are not a nation."
Spain opens Group D play against Russia on June 10 before facing Sweden and Greece.
Spain is unbeaten in its last 14 games — dating to November 2006 — a run in which it beat 2006 World Cup champion Italy and finalist France by identical 1-0 scores.
That might not be enough since Spain was undefeated in 25 matches before France knocked it out of the last World Cup.
"As (Spain) coach it always ends badly. The day Spain wins a championship, that day it will end well for the coach," he said.