Julen Lopetegui facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Julen Lopetegui

Lopetegui as Spain manager in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Julen Lopetegui Argote
Date of birth	(1966-08-28) 28 August 1966 (age 58)
Place of birth	Asteasu, Spain
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Qatar (manager)
Youth career
0000	Real Sociedad
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1985–1988	Castilla	61	(0)
1988–1991	Real Madrid	1	(0)
1988–1989	→ Las Palmas (loan)	31	(0)
1991–1994	Logroñés	107	(0)
1994–1997	Barcelona	5	(0)
1997–2002	Rayo Vallecano	112	(0)
Total		317	(0)
International career
1985	Spain U21	1	(0)
1994	Spain	1	(0)
1993–2000	Basque Country	3	(0)
Managerial career
2003	Rayo Vallecano
2008–2009	Real Madrid B
2010–2013	Spain U19
2010–2014	Spain U20
2012–2014	Spain U21
2014–2016	Porto
2016–2018	Spain
2018	Real Madrid
2019–2022	Sevilla
2022–2023	Wolverhampton Wanderers
2024–2025	West Ham United
2025–	Qatar
Medal record Men's football Representing  Spain (as player) FIFA U-20 World Cup Runner-up 1985 Representing  Spain (as manager) UEFA European Under-19 Championship Winner 2012 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Winner 2013
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Julen Lopetegui Argote (born on August 28, 1966) is a Spanish professional football manager and former footballer. He is currently the manager of the Qatar national team.

As a goalkeeper, he played 149 matches in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league. He played for famous clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Rayo Vallecano. He also played 168 matches in the Segunda División, which is the second division. Lopetegui played one game for the Spanish national team and was part of their squad for the 1994 World Cup.

Lopetegui started his coaching career in 2003. He spent several years coaching Spain's youth teams, helping the under-19 and under-21 teams win European titles. He also coached the senior Spanish national team for two years. Later, he managed clubs like Porto, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and West Ham United. He won the Europa League with Sevilla in 2020.

Playing Career

Early Years and Real Madrid

Julen Lopetegui was born in Asteasu, Spain. He began his football journey at his local club, Real Sociedad. In 1985, when he was 19, he joined Real Madrid. He played for their B team first.

After a loan period at Las Palmas, Lopetegui returned to Real Madrid. However, he found it hard to get a regular spot because of the experienced goalkeeper Francisco Buyo. He only played one La Liga match for Real Madrid. This was a 3–3 draw against Atlético Madrid.

Time at Logroñés and Barcelona

Lopetegui then moved to Logroñés. He was a very important player for this club, helping them stay in Spain's top league. In 1994, he joined Barcelona when their main goalkeeper, Andoni Zubizarreta, left. At Barcelona, he competed for the starting spot but often played second fiddle. When Barcelona bought another goalkeeper, Vítor Baía, Lopetegui became the third-choice goalkeeper.

Rayo Vallecano and Retirement

In 1997, Lopetegui moved back to Madrid to play for Segunda División club Rayo Vallecano. He was the main goalkeeper for his first two seasons there. In June 1999, he helped Rayo Vallecano win a play-off and return to the top league. After that, he lost his starting position to other goalkeepers. He still played 36 top-flight games between 1999 and 2002. He also played a key role in Rayo Vallecano's journey to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in the 2000–01 season. He retired from playing football at the age of 36.

International Matches

Lopetegui's good performances at Logroñés earned him his only game for the Spanish national team. He came on as a substitute for Zubizarreta for the last 30 minutes of a friendly match against Croatia on March 23, 1994. Spain lost that game 2–0. He was then chosen to be part of Spain's squad for the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

Coaching Career

Starting as a Coach

Lopetegui began his coaching journey as an assistant for the Spanish under-17 coach in 2003. After that, he became the head coach of Rayo Vallecano, a team he used to play for. However, he was dismissed after ten matches in the 2003–04 season.

After working as a sports commentator, Lopetegui returned to coaching. He took charge of Real Madrid B, the reserve team for Real Madrid, in the third division. From 2010 to 2014, Lopetegui worked with Spain's youth teams. He led the under-19 team to win the European Championship in 2012. He also guided the under-21 team to win their European Championship in 2013. He left the Spanish Football Federation in April 2014.

Coaching Porto

Lopetegui coaching Porto in September 2014

On May 6, 2014, Lopetegui became the coach of Porto, a big club in Portugal. He brought seven Spanish players to the club that summer. In his first season, Porto reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. However, they lost 6–1 to Bayern Munich, which was one of the club's biggest defeats in European competitions. He did not win any trophies with Porto, which was unusual for the club at that time.

On January 8, 2016, after a loss to Marítimo, Lopetegui was removed from his role. Porto had also been knocked out of the Champions League and was third in their domestic league.

Leading Spain's National Team

On July 21, 2016, Lopetegui was announced as the new manager of the Spain national team. This happened after the previous coach, Vicente del Bosque, retired. In his first match, Spain won 2–0 against Belgium. Spain then qualified for the 2018 World Cup by winning nine of their ten group matches and drawing one.

On June 12, 2018, while the team was in Russia for the World Cup, it was announced that Lopetegui would become the head coach of Real Madrid after the tournament. The next day, he was dismissed from his job with the national team because of this announcement. Fernando Hierro took over as coach.

Time at Real Madrid

Lopetegui's first official game as Real Madrid coach was on August 15, 2018. They lost 4–2 to their rivals Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup. This made him only the second Real Madrid manager to start his time by letting in four goals.

After a series of poor results, including a big 5–1 loss to Barcelona in El Clásico on October 28, 2018, Lopetegui was dismissed a day later. Santiago Solari replaced him.

Success with Sevilla

On June 5, 2019, Lopetegui became the new manager of Sevilla. In his first year, Sevilla finished fourth in the league, which meant they qualified for the Champions League. On August 21, 2020, they defeated Inter Milan 3–2 in the Europa League final. This was his first major trophy with a club.

Lopetegui extended his contract with Sevilla in January 2021. However, on October 5, 2022, he was dismissed after his team lost five of their first eight matches in the new season. This included a 4–1 home loss to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

Coaching Wolverhampton Wanderers

After leaving Sevilla, Lopetegui was offered the coaching job at Wolverhampton Wanderers in England. He initially turned it down due to his father's health. However, he accepted the offer later and became the club's new head coach on November 14, 2022.

In his first competitive game on December 20, his team won 2–0 against Gillingham in the EFL Cup. This put them into the quarter-finals for the first time since 1995–96. Six days later, in his first Premier League match, Wolves won 2–1 against Everton. Lopetegui was the first Wolves manager since 1978 to win his opening top-flight match. He led Wolves to finish 13th in the Premier League. He left the club by mutual agreement on August 8, 2023, due to disagreements about the club's financial situation and the need for new players.

Managing West Ham United

On May 23, 2024, Lopetegui stayed in the English top division, becoming the new head coach of West Ham United. He signed a two-year contract. In his first game on August 17, West Ham lost 2–1 at home to Aston Villa. This loss set a league record for West Ham, as it was their 16th defeat on an opening day. He achieved his first win a week later, a 2–0 victory against Crystal Palace.

In January 2025, West Ham was reportedly considering dismissing Lopetegui after heavy losses to Liverpool and Manchester City. He was dismissed on January 8, 2025, with the team in 14th place. During his time, West Ham lost nine of 20 Premier League games.

Current Role with Qatar

On May 1, 2025, Lopetegui was announced as the new manager of the Qatar national team. His contract runs until the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. He is the third Spanish coach to take on this role in less than two years.

Coaching Style

Monchi, a sporting director who worked with Lopetegui at Sevilla, described him as a coach with three important qualities:

• He has great professional skills.
• He is very competitive.
• He is good at managing a team.

Monchi also said that Lopetegui understands what big clubs need. He makes requests that are normal and always works well with the club. He is demanding, but only for the good of the team and not for selfish reasons.

Managerial Statistics

Honours and Achievements

As a Player

Real Madrid

• La Liga: 1989–90 (Spanish League Champion)

Barcelona

• Supercopa de España: 1994, 1996 (Spanish Super Cup Winner)

Spain U20

• FIFA World Youth Championship runner-up: 1985 (Second Place)

As a Manager

Sevilla

• UEFA Europa League: 2019–20 (European Club Competition Winner)

Spain U19

• UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2012 (European Youth Championship Winner)

Spain U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2013 (European Youth Championship Winner)

See also

In Spanish: Julen Lopetegui para niños