Julen Lopetegui Argote, popularly known as Julen Lopetegui is a Spanish football manager and former player. He started his football career as a goalkeeper from Real Madrid. He later played for Las Palmas, Logrones, Barcelona, and Rayo Vallecano. He retired from football in 2002 and started his managerial career. He managed several of Spain’s youth teams. He helped Spain’s U19 and U21 teams to win European titles. He managed Spain’s senior team for two years until his dismissal in 2018. He was appointed Real Madrid manager. Following Real Madrid’s poor performance, he was sacked. He won his first club honor in 2020 after he led Sevilla to win the 2020 UEFA Europa League in his first season at the club.
What is Julen Lopetegui Famous For?
- Won the 2019-20 UEFA Europa League as a Sevilla FC manager.
Where is Julen Lopetegui From?
Julen Lopetegui was born on 28 August 1966. His birth name is Julen Lopetegui Argote. His birth place is in Asteasu, Gipuzkoa in Spain. He holds Spanish nationality. He belongs to white ethnicity and his religion is Christianity. His father’s name is Jose Antonio Lopetegui. Information about his mother and siblings is not available.
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Julen Lopetegui Playing Career
- Lopetegui played professional football as a goalkeeper. He started his career at a local club, Real Sociedad. Lopetegui could not progress through the system due to the presence of Luis Arconada. Thus, he transferred to Real Madrid in 1985. He played for the club’s reserves.
- He was loaned to Las Palmas for the 1988-89 season. Upon returning from loan, he made only 1 appearance for Real Madrid’s first team. He was part of Real Madrid that won the 1989-90 La Liga. He then moved to CD Logrones in 1991, where he played as a first-choice goalkeeper. Barcelona signed Lopetegui in 1994. However, he was not the first choice goalkeeper for Barcelona. He made only 5 appearances during his stay at Barcelona. He was part of Barcelona that won the Supercopa de Espana in 1994 and 1996. He transferred to Rayo Vallecano. He was Rayo Vallecano’s first-choice goalkeeper for the first two seasons. Lopetegui has earned only one cap with Spain. He came on in as a substitute in the friendly match against Croatia on 23 March 1994. He was named in the final squad for the 1994 World Cup. Lopetegui retired from football in 2002.
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Julen Lopetegui Managerial Career
- He started his managerial career in 2003 as an assistant for Spain’s U17 team. He then became the head coach of Rayo Vallecano in the second level in 2003 but was fired after ten matches in the 2003-04 season. The club eventually relegated to division three. He then worked as a sports commentator for LaSexta in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
- He returned to coaching in 2008 with Real Madrid Castilla. He coached Castilla for a season. He then coached Spain’s U19 that won the 2012 European U19 Championship and U21 team that won the 2013 U21 Championship. He also coached Spain’s U20 team. Following his contract expiration, he left the Royal Spanish Football Federation in April 2014.
- He then became FC Porto’s manager in May 2014. In his two seasons at the club, he led the club to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. Porto finished third in the domestic league. Lopetegui was relieved of his duty in 2016.
- He was named Spanish senior team coach after Vicente del Bosque retired in 2016. He led Spain to win the 2018 World Cup. It was announced on 12 June 2018 that Lopetegui will take over the head coaching duty of Real Madrid after the 2018 FIFA World Cup. A day after the announcement, he was dismissed as a head coach of Spain.
- His first competitive game as a Real Madrid manager was against Atletico Madrid for the UEFA Super Cup. Real Madrid lost 4-2 in extra time. He became the second Real Madrid manager to start his tenure by conceding four goals. Lopetegui was fired on 29 October 2018 after Real Madrid suffered a 5-1 humiliation in El Classico on the previous day.
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- Lopetegui was appointed the head coach of Sevilla FC in June 2019. He signed a three-year contract with the club. He helped the club to qualify for the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League as well as win the 2020 UEFA Europa League title. Sevilla defeated Inter Milan 3-2 in the final.
Julen Lopetegui Wife
Julen Lopetegui is a married man. He is married to Rosa Maqueda. The couple has a son named Jon Lopetegui. Not much detailed information about his personal life is available.
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Julen Lopetegui Height
Julen Lopetegui stands at a height of 1.85 m i.e. 6 feet and 1 inch tall. He has an athletic body build. His eye color is brown and his hair color is dark brown. His sexual orientation is straight.
Julen Lopetegui Net Worth
Julen Lopetegui is a retired football player and a current manager. He earned from his professional football playing career until his retirement and now earns as a football manager. Having played 17 seasons as a goalkeeper, most notably from Las Palmas, Logrones, and Rayo Vallecano, he retired from football in 2002. He has already managed the Spain national team, Spain’s youth teams, Rayo Vallecano, Porto, and Real Madrid. He won his first club honor, the 2020 UEFA Europa League title in his first season as a Sevilla manager. He has a 3-year contract with Sevilla. His contract details with Sevilla are not available. Thus, it can not be determined how much salary has Sevilla been paying Lopetegui. His net worth is estimated at $5 million.
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