Julen Lopetegui was fired by Spain TWO days before the World Cup to take charge of the post-Cristiano Ronaldo era at Real Madrid
Julen Lopetegui is no stranger to taking on big managerial tasks thanks to his rollercoaster ride with Real Madrid.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss take over as West Ham manager next season, replacing Outgoing David Moyes and taking on his first job since leaving Molineux last August.
The Spaniard will have many eyes on him to see how he does at the London Stadium.
Despite his varied popularity among fans, Moyes leaves big shoes to fill after leading the Hammers to Europa Conference League victory in 2023 and being in charge for five years over two spells.
But this is not the first time that Lopetegui has suffered pressure in a managerial position.
Let's go back to 2018 and the ex-real Madrid and Barcelona The goalkeeper was in charge of his country's national team.
After two years in charge, Lopetegui led Spain to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, winning nine and drawing one of their group matches.
But despite arriving in Russia with his team to prepare for the tournament, Lopetegui surprisingly never made the bench for the competition.
La Roja fans had high hopes that their team could lift the trophy for the second time after their famous victory in 2010, but just two days before the tournament, journalists and fans were left stunned, as was the Spanish Football Federation.
Real Madrid and the then president of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, confirmed that Lopetegui would take over as coach of Los Blancos after Zinedine ZidaneThe recent departure of
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It was originally said that he would take office in real Madrid after the World Cup on a three-year contract, allaying initial concerns that he would not lead La Roja in Russia.
In reality, Lopetegui's time as Spain coach ended just one day after the initial bombshell, when Rubiales confirmed his dismissal on the eve of the tournament.
He was replaced by Spain's sporting director, Fernando Hierro. In the end, La Roja was disappointed as they lost 4-3 on penalties to hosts Russia in the round of 16.
Meanwhile, as the world watched the man who had suddenly left his country in a precarious position ahead of football's biggest tournament, Lopetegui had taken on a difficult job in Madrid.
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He would also soon discover that he was tasked with building the post-Cristiano Ronaldo was.
The Manchester United legend left Real for Juventus that summer, ending his nine years at Real Madrid, in which he became the club's all-time leading scorer with 450 goals.
Replacing Zidane, who won three Champions Leagues and a LaLiga title in his first spell as manager there, and filling a rather large void in the form of Ronaldo were big asks for Lopetegui.
Karim Benzema Taking a step forward to become Real's top scorer didn't save him in the end either.
His tenure began with a 4-2 defeat to rivals Atlético de Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup.
That made him the second Real coach to begin his tenure by conceding four goals after the former Southampton and Fulham The winger Michael Keeping did it in 1948.
A series of poor results followed, with a 5-1 defeat to Clasico rivals Barcelona being the final nail in the coffin.
On 29 October, Lopetegui was sacked and replaced by Santiago Solari before Zidane returned in March.
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However, he was soon recaptured.
Seville He came calling the following June, and Lopetegui won the Europa League the following season.
Then Wolves, who were interested in him before he accepted the Spain job, brought him to Molineux in November 2022.
Now, a year after his dismissal from Wolves, he returns to the Premier League with another new era to navigate.
