Julen Julen Julen FOOTBALLER COACH FOOTBALL PUNDIT

Goalkeeper formed at ’s Lopetegui is one of the coaches with Leaving his coaching facet aside, Julen pool of young players, he then went to more future projection in the national Lopetegui has worked as a football Castilla and Las Palmas before getting and international panorama. He has pundit for several media. On TV he to Real ’s first team. At CD coached , Real Madrid collaborated with La Sexta on the Logroñés he became one of the best Castilla, Spain Under-19, Under-20 2006 World Cup and also for Estudio Spanish goalkeepers of the 90’s, and Spain Under-21 with success and Estadio (TVE) and Bein Sports spea- something that made him debut with then, during two seasons, Oporto, a king about the Champions League. On the Spanish national team and even go historical club in Portugal. Currently Summer 2016 he signed a contract to the USA World Cup. After that he he is Spain's National Coach and he with the Vocento Group to write a went to where he stayed has the challenge of qualifying Spain column about France’s Euro 2016. three seasons before going to Rayo for the 2018 World Cup. Vallecano where in 2002, he decided to retire from professional football. CAREER AS A COACH

Being a tireless and studious man who is always learning new methods, Lopetegui applies his ideas with diligence and discipli- ne. With a willing to discuss personality, he is always ready to listen to the footballers to get the best out of them. RAYO VALLECANO 2003-2004

His career as a coach started in the same club in which he retired as a footballer. coached Rayo in Second Division (2003-04 season) after having ended his agreement with the Spanish National team for which he was the goalkeeper trainer next to Iñaki Sáez, who was the national coach. « I feel very identified with the team and their crowd » he said, a feeling that has been with him since then. In Vallecas he ‘drew his first paintings’ as a coach with Juan Carlos Mandiá as first assistant, who knew the complicated issues of the job. REAL MADRID 2006-2009

In 2006 Julen Lopetegui was incorporated to Real Madrid’s organization chart. He spent three years at Chamartín. First he was the responsible man in charge of the international talent scouts but in the end he ended up becoming the coach of Real Madrid-Castilla.

“He is one of the best talent scouts in the international scene of this country. A man of football, dedicated, passionate and a worker who will instill his knowledge to the youth team”, said the White team when making him the ocial coach. Lopetegui achieved to make Castilla a competitive team and he collaborated in the formation of footballers like Bueno, Szalai or Adán. When he left Castilla (2009), only several months later he was called by Spain’s federation to become Spain’s Under 19-20 coach. On Summer 2010 he started a crucial stage for his future. SPAIN NATIONAL TEAM INFERIOR CATEGORIES 2010-14

Before he was named as national team coach, the Spanish federation trusted him to coach the Under 19 and the Under 20 national team. The first competitions came in 2011. He took his team to the European Under 19 Final and he won it, although the Under-20 World Cup didn’t let him be in the European championship. Julen had to be with the Under – 20 team in Colombia. His time there was successful. The Under 19 were champions of Europe in Romania against the Czech Republic (2-3), while the Under 20 team lost in quarter finals against Brasil, who won the tournament. Brasil could only beat Spain in penalties after a vibrant match.

A year later he continued with his excellent job in the youth teams. This time he was able to coach the European Under-19. The result was unbeatable. Spain won the title against Greece. That squad had players like Jesé, Deulofeu, Denis Suárez, Óliver Torres, Alcácer and Bernat.

In June 2013 there was a new challenge: the Under-21 European championship at Israel. Julen had been in charge of the Under 21 after the Olympics in London. Spain had plenty of talent (De Gea, , Illarramendi, Koke, Thiago, Isco, Morata…) at Lopetegui’s orders. The coach mana- ged the team like a master and they performed brilliantly: Spain won all 5 matches with 12 goals scored and only two conceded. Those two goals conceded came in the final, where Spain beat Italy 2-4.

With the continental gold, the coach from Guipúzcoa went to the Under 20 World cup in Turkey. Spain under 20 was one of the toughest teams in the tournament, but Uruguay beat them before semifinals on extra time. Before quarter finals, Spain had given an incredible impression. They beat Pogba’s France, who finally won the competition. FC PORTO 2014-16

The U20 World Cup was the last tournament of the successful spell of Julen through Spain´s youth teams. A few months later, Porto knocked at the door and the Basque manager accepted the responsibility to lead one of the clubs with the best trophy in both Portugal (27 First Division Championships, 16 Taças of Portugal), in Europe and internationally (two Champions League, two Europa Leagues and two Intercontinental Cups). A Club that was looking for a coach who give stability to an ambitious sport project.

From the beginning, Lopetegui bet, as he has always done, for an . An attractive style, oensive and modern, deployed on the pitch through a 4-3-3 formation. The team progressed from month to month to reach a remarkable level of play. Lopetegui´s first season ended with Porto in second place (just three points behind Benfica), while in Champions League they reached the quarter-finals. In that round they faced Bayern, and both, left for the memory, a brilliant first leg, in which Porto beat Guardiola´s men 3-1. His squad appreciated in such a way that the club cashed in more than 110 million the next summer selling players.

Lopetegui left Porto in January 2016, barely a week after having been the leader in the league. Until that date his record was 53 victories, 16 draws and 9 defeats, scoring 159 goals and conceding 54. SPAIN NATIONAL TEAM 2016 - Actualidad

Julen holds the reins of Spanish football after being named by the Spanish Fede- ration as the replacement of , he will be the current coach of Spain. Lopetegui has a great challenge ahead: Qualifying Spain for Russia’s 2018 World Cup and to trying to take Spain back to being as succesful as years ago.

All the triumphs achieved with Spain’s inferior categories and the fact that he has already worked with many players of the current squad before are some of the reasons for him to become the current coach of Spain. And now, Lopetegui hopes to give back all that trust by maintaining Spain’s way of playing, in which posse- sion must always remain as the protagonist. Nevertheless, he must also take advantage of all the new qualities and virtues of the Spaniards in order to alter the system whenever it is required. 'Lopetegui is the second best Spanish coach in percentage of victories in Champions League'

Luis Enrique (33 G | 24 W) 75%

Lopetegui (18 G | 11 W) 61%

Guardiola (97 G | 59 W) 60%

Benitez (111 G | 64 W) 57%

Del Bosque (60 G | 34 W) 56%

Juande Ramos (11 G | 6 W) 54%

Michel (14 G | 7 W) 50%

Valverde (19 G | 8 W) 42%

Emery (27 G | 9 W) 33%

Aragonés (10 G | 3 W) 30% @julenlopetegui

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@julenlopetegui