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Julen Lopetegui
Julen Lopetegui Argote (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈʝulen lopeˈteɣjaˈɣote]; born 28 August 1966) is a Spanish professional football manager and former footballer. He is the current manager of the Qatar national team.
A goalkeeper, he played 149 La Liga matches over nine seasons, representing Real Madrid, Logroñés, Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano in the competition. He added 168 appearances in the Segunda División for three clubs, winning one cap for Spain and being a member of the squad at the 1994 World Cup.
Lopetegui started working as a manager in 2003, and spent several years in charge of Spain's youth teams, leading the under-19 and under-21 sides to European titles. He was also head coach of the senior national team for two years, but was dismissed before the start of the 2018 World Cup following the announcement of his agreement to join Real Madrid after the tournament. In club football, he managed Rayo Vallecano, Castilla, Porto, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United, winning the 2020 Europa League with Sevilla.
Born in Asteasu, Gipuzkoa, Lopetegui started his professional career at local Real Sociedad. In 1985, he accepted an offer from Real Madrid, where the 19-year-old played in the B team.
After a loan spell at Las Palmas, Lopetegui returned, but could never dislodge another veteran, Francisco Buyo, only managing one La Liga appearance over two seasons, a 3–3 away draw against Atlético Madrid as Real were already crowned league champions. He subsequently signed with Logroñés, being instrumental as the modest Riojan club consistently managed to retain its top-flight status.
When Andoni Zubizarreta left for Valencia in 1994, Lopetegui joined Barcelona, battling – and losing – for first-choice status with longtime understudy Carles Busquets. After the Catalans bought Porto's Vítor Baía, he was further demoted to third string, and returned to Madrid with Segunda División club Rayo Vallecano in 1997.
Lopetegui was a starter in his first two seasons at Rayo, culminating with their play-off final win over Extremadura in June 1999. After returning to the top tier he lost his place to American international Kasey Keller and then Imanol Etxeberria; he played 36 top-flight games from 1999 to 2002. He was nonetheless favoured for the team's run to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2000–01, where they were eliminated by compatriots Alavés. He retired at the age of 36.
Lopetegui's performances at Logroñés earned him his sole cap with Spain, coming on as a substitute for Zubizarreta for the final 30 minutes of a 2–0 friendly loss to Croatia in Valencia, on 23 March 1994. He was subsequently picked for the squad at that year's FIFA World Cup.
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Julen Lopetegui
Julen Lopetegui Argote (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈʝulen lopeˈteɣjaˈɣote]; born 28 August 1966) is a Spanish professional football manager and former footballer. He is the current manager of the Qatar national team.
A goalkeeper, he played 149 La Liga matches over nine seasons, representing Real Madrid, Logroñés, Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano in the competition. He added 168 appearances in the Segunda División for three clubs, winning one cap for Spain and being a member of the squad at the 1994 World Cup.
Lopetegui started working as a manager in 2003, and spent several years in charge of Spain's youth teams, leading the under-19 and under-21 sides to European titles. He was also head coach of the senior national team for two years, but was dismissed before the start of the 2018 World Cup following the announcement of his agreement to join Real Madrid after the tournament. In club football, he managed Rayo Vallecano, Castilla, Porto, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United, winning the 2020 Europa League with Sevilla.
Born in Asteasu, Gipuzkoa, Lopetegui started his professional career at local Real Sociedad. In 1985, he accepted an offer from Real Madrid, where the 19-year-old played in the B team.
After a loan spell at Las Palmas, Lopetegui returned, but could never dislodge another veteran, Francisco Buyo, only managing one La Liga appearance over two seasons, a 3–3 away draw against Atlético Madrid as Real were already crowned league champions. He subsequently signed with Logroñés, being instrumental as the modest Riojan club consistently managed to retain its top-flight status.
When Andoni Zubizarreta left for Valencia in 1994, Lopetegui joined Barcelona, battling – and losing – for first-choice status with longtime understudy Carles Busquets. After the Catalans bought Porto's Vítor Baía, he was further demoted to third string, and returned to Madrid with Segunda División club Rayo Vallecano in 1997.
Lopetegui was a starter in his first two seasons at Rayo, culminating with their play-off final win over Extremadura in June 1999. After returning to the top tier he lost his place to American international Kasey Keller and then Imanol Etxeberria; he played 36 top-flight games from 1999 to 2002. He was nonetheless favoured for the team's run to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2000–01, where they were eliminated by compatriots Alavés. He retired at the age of 36.
Lopetegui's performances at Logroñés earned him his sole cap with Spain, coming on as a substitute for Zubizarreta for the final 30 minutes of a 2–0 friendly loss to Croatia in Valencia, on 23 March 1994. He was subsequently picked for the squad at that year's FIFA World Cup.
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