Vicente del Bosque, recognized for his more caring side and for his social commitment
He receives the Lifetime Achievement Award, worth €30,000.
Her Majesty Queen Sofía will preside over the presentation ceremony for these international awards on 14 June, in Madrid.
This 68 year-old Spaniard, a former soccer player and trainer, will soon be presented with the José Manuel Martínez Lifetime Achievement Award from Fundación MAPFRE, for his impeccable and unblemished career, characterized by his demonstration of important values such as humility, generosity and the capacity for hard work, both on the field of play and in society at large. This award particularly recognizes his more caring side that has led him, throughout his entire life, to give support and visibility to groups in need of more attention.
A life supporting those most in need
Drawing on the caring nature of his personality, the former trainer of the national Spanish soccer team is notable for his contribution to research into rare diseases, his support for people with Down syndrome and his commitment to children, through his collaboration with non-profit organizations such as Save the Children.
Del Bosque is an ambassador for the Down Syndrome Foundation, which has awarded him various prizes, and he collaborates with the Spanish Federation for Rare Diseases (FEDER), for which he was the solidarity ambassador in 2013, supporting people who live with these types of conditions. He also supports several NGOs (such as ALMA, the social network of La Caixa) and different hospitals, such as the Hospital San Rafael de Madrid, for which he has done charity calendars.
Since 2015, as part of his support for children and instilling values, he has participated in sports summer camps that bear his name in various places across Spain, in which more than 1,000 children between 6 and 15 years old play sport, develop healthy lifestyle habits and learn values such as friendship, companionship and integration.
Also relevant is his contribution to solidarity projects abroad, especially in Latin America, where he has worked with organizations in Colombia and the Dominican Republic with the objective of protecting the rights of people with Down syndrome and to provide future opportunities for the youngest of them.
Great footballer and an even greater trainer
As a soccer player, he spent virtually his entire career with Real Madrid C.F. (1968-1984) and was a full international with the Spanish team (1975-1980). As a trainer, he mainly managed Real Madrid C.F. (1999-2003), winning an Intercontinental Cup, two Champions Leagues and two League Championships, and also the Spanish national side (2008-2016), with which he won the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championship in 2012. He is considered to be the only trainer to have won both world and European championships at club and country level and, in 2012, he was recognized by FIFA as the best trainer in the world. In 2015, he was admitted into the Hall of Fame and received the Great Cross of the Royal Order of Sports Merit.
A measured, calm and simple person, Vicente del Bosque has always sought to avoid the limelight, but his numerous awards have placed him in an exalted position. He has, for example, received an honorary doctorate from the UCLM university and been granted the title of First Marquis of Del Bosque, bestowed by King Juan Carlos I.
The Fundación MAPFRE Awards, international in character, recognize the work of people and institutions who strive every day to improve people’s way of life in areas related to social commitment, research, health, accident protection and insurance. The award will be presented on 14 June at the Casino de Madrid (Calle Alcalá, 15) by Her Majesty Queen Sofía.