Julen Lopetegui, whose photo is presented in our article, is a former professional Spanish footballer who played as a goalkeeper. At the end of his playing career, he became a football coach. Currently heads the coaching staff of Real Madrid.
During his playing career, he played for such Spanish teams as Real Madrid, Logronies, Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano. As part of the national team of Spain, he took part in one match in 1994. He is the champion of Spain, the winner of the Spanish Cup, three-time winner of the Spanish Super Cup and the owner of the UEFA Cup.
Biography: early career of a football player
Julen Lopetegui was born on August 28, 1966 in the city of Asteasu, Spain. He is a student of the Real Sociedad club football school. In adult football, he made his debut in 1983 with performances for the second team of this club, in which he spent two seasons.
In 1985, he signed a contract with the club Real Madrid, over the next three years he played for his farm club Real Madrid Castilla. In 1988, on a one-year lease, he defended the colors of Las Palmas. Returning to Real Madrid in 1989, he began to be involved in the main team, but only as a reserve goalkeeper. Having spent only one game in the championship over the next two seasons for “creamy”, in 1991 he moved to Logronies, where he became the main goalkeeper.
Transition to Barcelona, career for Rayo Vallecano
In 1994, he signed a contract with Barcelona, where he again became a reservist, for three years as part of the Catalans he only entered the field 5 times in championship matches.
In 1997 he moved to Rayo Vallecano, for which he subsequently played 5 seasons. Most of the time spent in the “Rayo Vallecano” was the main goalkeeper of the team. He completed his professional career as a football player here in 2002.
Career for Spain
In 1985, Julen Lopetegi was involved in the youth team of Spain. At the youth level he played in one official match.
March 23, 1994 spent his only match in the national team of Spain, replacing in the course of the friendly game against the national team of Croatia the main goalkeeper Andoni Subisarreta. Later that year, he was included in the application of the Spanish national team to participate in the final part of the 1994 World Cup in the United States of America, where he was the third goalkeeper of the team.
Coach career: led the youth team of Spain to the “championship” in the continental championship
Lopetegi began coaching in 2003, heading the coaching staff of the club “Rayo Vallecano”, in which shortly before that he completed his playing career. Under his leadership, the team held only 11 games, in which 7 were defeated, and the coach was fired.
He returned to the work of head coach Julen Lopetegui in 2008, leading the team “Real Madrid Castilla” - understudies of Real Madrid. Subsequently, he continued to work with young football players. During 2010-2013 he worked with the Spanish national teams U-19 and U-20. In 2013, Julen Lopetegi led the main Spanish youth team U21, which in the same year led to the victory in the youth continental championship. Under the leadership of Lopetegi, the Spanish “youth team” held 11 matches, all of which they won.
Coaching career at Porto
Successes with the youth team of Spain attracted the attention of the coach from leading European clubs, and on May 6, 2014 Lopetegi headed the coaching staff of the Portuguese “Porto”.
In the summer of 2014, the new Portuguese head coach invited seven young Spanish football players to the team, with whom he had experience working in the youth national teams of the country, however, he could not achieve success with the team. Julen Lopetegui did not win a single trophy with the team, although in the 2014/15 season he managed to get out with the “Dragons” in the quarter finals of the Champions League. On January 8, 2016 he was relieved of his post.
After Euro 2016, Lopetegi led the Spanish national team, replacing Vicente Del Bosque. He ensured the qualification of the national team for the 2018 World Cup from first place in the qualifying group, primarily due to a draw and a victory gained in matches with the main competitor, the Italian national team. Preparing the national team for the final of the 2018 World Cup.
Julen Lopetegui in Real Madrid
Two days before the start of the World Cup, on June 12, 2018, it was announced that after the World Cup, Lopetegi would leave the national team and head the coaching staff of Real Madrid. Nevertheless, Julen decided in secret to sign a contract with the "creamy", immediately at the beginning of the World Cup in Russia. This episode has been the subject of public censure and discussion.
Given that the coach only renewed his contract with the Spanish national team only three weeks earlier, and this news angered the leadership of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, and the next day, June 13, on the eve of the start of the world championship, it was announced that Lopetega was fired from the national team. Fernando Hierro, who at that time held the position of sports director of the national team, was entrusted with managing her actions at the championship.
The very day after the scandalous dismissal from the national team, June 14, 2018, Lopetegi was officially introduced as the new head of the Real Madrid coaching staff.
At the start of the 2018/19 season, the position of the “royal” club in the Spanish Premiere is sad. Julen has not yet managed to form his own ideology in the team, so Real Madrid has not yet gained the necessary form. Perhaps the situation is due to the departure of the world's best football player Cristiano Ronaldo, because he was the core of all attacks and effective actions. At the same time, in the Champions League, the club shows a completely different football - more productive and systemic. Apparently, Lopetegi is determined to conquer the fourth to a row trophy of this European championship with the Galaxy.