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
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
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 28 August 1966) is a Spanish professional football manager and former footballer. He was a goalkeeper during his playing career.

He played in 149 La Liga matches over nine seasons. He represented famous clubs like Real Madrid, Logroñés, Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano. He also played 168 games in the Segunda División. Lopetegui played one game for the Spanish national team. He was part of the squad for the 1994 World Cup.

Lopetegui started coaching in 2003. He spent several years leading Spain's youth teams. He helped the under-19 and under-21 teams win European titles. He also coached the senior national team for two years. However, he was let go before the 2018 World Cup. This happened after he agreed to join Real Madrid after the tournament.

In club football, he has managed many teams. These include Rayo Vallecano, Castilla, Porto, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United. He won the 2020 Europa League with Sevilla.

Playing Career Highlights

Starting Out in Spain

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

After a loan period at Las Palmas, Lopetegui returned to Real Madrid. He found it hard to become the main goalkeeper. The famous Francisco Buyo was already there. Lopetegui only played one La Liga game for Real Madrid. This was a 3–3 draw against Atlético Madrid. Real Madrid had already won the league that season.

Moving to Other Clubs

After Real Madrid, he joined Logroñés. He was a key player there. He helped the club stay in the top league, La Liga.

In 1994, Lopetegui moved to Barcelona. He competed for the starting spot with Carles Busquets. Later, Barcelona bought Vítor Baía. This made Lopetegui the third-choice goalkeeper. In 1997, he returned to Madrid to play for Segunda División club Rayo Vallecano.

Lopetegui was the main goalkeeper for Rayo Vallecano for two seasons. They won promotion to the top league in 1999. He then lost his starting spot to other goalkeepers. He played 36 top-flight games for Rayo from 1999 to 2002. He also played in the UEFA Cup, helping Rayo reach the quarter-finals. He retired from playing at age 36.

International Appearances

Lopetegui's good performances at Logroñés earned him a chance to play for Spain. He played his only game for Spain on 23 March 1994. He came on as a substitute in a friendly match against Croatia. He was then chosen for Spain's squad for the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

Coaching Career Journey

Early Coaching Roles

Lopetegui started his coaching career as an assistant. He helped the Spain U17 coach in 2003. After that, he became the head coach of Rayo Vallecano. The team was in the second division. However, he was let go after only ten matches.

After coaching Rayo, he worked as a sports commentator. He then returned to coaching in 2008. He managed Real Madrid B, the team he played for earlier.

From 2010 to 2014, Lopetegui worked with Spain's youth teams. He had great success there. He led the Under-19 team to win the European Championship in 2012. He also led the Under-21 team to win their European Championship in 2013. He left the Spanish Football Federation in 2014 when his contract ended.

Managing FC Porto

Lopetegui coaching Porto in September 2014

On 6 May 2014, Lopetegui became the manager of Porto in Portugal. He brought seven Spanish players to the club that summer.

In his first season at Porto, the club had its biggest budget ever. Lopetegui led them to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. However, they lost 6–1 to Bayern Munich. This was one of Porto's biggest defeats in European games. He did not win any trophies with Porto.

On 8 January 2016, Lopetegui was removed from his job. Porto had been eliminated from the Champions League. They were also third in the domestic league.

Coaching the Spanish National Team

On 21 July 2016, Lopetegui became the new manager of the Spain national team. This happened after Vicente del Bosque retired. In his first game, Spain won 2–0 against Belgium. Spain qualified for the 2018 World Cup. They won nine and drew one of their group matches.

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

Time at Real Madrid

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

After a series of poor results, including a 5–1 loss to Barcelona in El Clásico, Lopetegui was fired on 29 October 2018. Santiago Solari replaced him.

Success with Sevilla

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

He signed a contract extension with Sevilla in January 2021. However, on 5 October 2022, he was dismissed. This followed five losses in eight matches in the new season.

Managing Wolverhampton Wanderers

After leaving Sevilla, Lopetegui was offered the manager job at Wolverhampton Wanderers. He first turned it down due to his father's health. But he was approached again and accepted. On 5 November 2022, it was announced he would start on 14 November.

In his first game on 20 December, his team won 2–0 against Gillingham in the EFL Cup. This put them into the quarter-finals. Six days later, in his first Premier League game, Wolves won 2–1 against Everton. He was the first Wolves manager since 1978 to win his first top-flight match.

Lopetegui led Wolves to finish 13th place in the league. In May 2023, there were talks about him leaving. This was due to the club's financial situation. He had wanted new players, but learned about the money limits later. Because of these disagreements, he left the club by agreement on 8 August.

Time at West Ham United

On 23 May 2024, Lopetegui stayed in the English top league. He became the new head coach of West Ham United. He signed a two-year contract. In his first game on 17 August, West Ham lost 2–1 at home to Aston Villa. They broke a league record for most opening day losses. He got his first win a week later, 2–0 against Crystal Palace.

In January 2025, West Ham was reportedly thinking about firing Lopetegui. This followed big losses to Liverpool and Manchester City. He was relieved of his duties on 8 January. The team was in 14th position at the time.

Managerial Style

Monchi, a sporting director who worked with Lopetegui at Sevilla, praised him. He said Lopetegui has three important qualities for a coach:

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

Monchi also said that Lopetegui understands what big clubs need. He works well with the club's goals. He is demanding but always for the good of the team.

Managerial Statistics

Trophies 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 League Winner)

Spain U19

• UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2012 (European Champion)

Spain U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2013 (European Champion)

See also

In Spanish: Julen Lopetegui para niños