Del Bosque honoured

Real Madrid coach Vicente del Bosque has been honoured by his hometown of Salamanca in a ceremony at the weekend.

The 50-year-old former Real player received the Atere Bateum medal from Salamanca's local authority for being one of the most successful personalities to come from the region.

The golden medal is considered one of the highest accolades in the university town and del Bosque was visibly moved when presented with the award at the ceremony dinner on Sunday night.

Del Bosque has worked wonders at the Bernabeu since taking over from John Toshack in November 1999, winning the Champions League that season and La Liga the following year. He had a brief spell in the hotseat in 1994 and has previously coached Real Madrid's B side. Del Bosque won five championships and four Spanish Cups as a Real Madrid player between 1973 and 1984 and during that time he earned 18 Spanish international caps, scoring one goal.