Former Spanish footballer who played as a goalkeeper, Julen Lopetegui is currently working as the manager of the Spain national team. He began his career in football at local Real Sociedad. He played over 149 games in La Liga over 11 seasons where he played for the clubs including Barcelona, Rayo Vallecano, Real Madrid, and Logrones. He added 168 matches in Segunda Division with the clubs and also represented Spain at the 1994 World Cup. He retired from football in 2002 and started working as a coach.
Early Life And Education of Julen Lopetegui
Julen Lopetegui was born Julen Lopetegui Argote to Jose Antonio Lopetegui on 28th August 1966 in Asteasu, Spain. Lopetegui is Virgo which defined his personality to be smart and capable. He is Spanish by nationality and belongs to Spaniards ethnicity.
Julen Lopetegui’s Career
Julen Lopetegui started his professional career in football at local Spanish football club based in San Sebastian, Real Sociedad. But he was disqualified by the retired Spanish footballer, Luis Arconada.
He, later on, joined Spanish football team, UD Las Palmas in loan and subsequently, signed a contract with another Spanish team, CD Logrones. In 1994, his performance in the team helped him his sole cap with Spain, coming on as a substitute for Andoni Zubizarreta for the final 30-minutes of a 0-2 friendly loss with Croatia in Valencia. The same year, he was selected for the squad at FIFA World Cup.
Lopetegui then joined FC Barcelona where he made five appearances. From 1997-2002, he appeared in 112 matches. He retired from football in 2002.
Managerial Career
Lopetegui worked as an a s sistant coach for Juan Santisteban in 2003 at the UEFA European Under-17 Championship. Soon after the tournament, he appeared as a head coach at Rayo with the club in the second level being terminated the 10th match of the 2003-04 campaigns.
Later, Lopetegui worked as a sports commentator for IaSexta in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and again returned to coaching for Real Madrid Castilla. From 2010-2014, he served Spanish youth teams and helped to win the 2012 European Under-19 Championship and the 2013 Under-21 Championship. After the expiration of the contract, he left the Royal Spanish Football Federation on 30th April 2014.
The same year, he was appointed at Portugal’s FC Porto where he signed seven Spanish players in the club. At the first season of the Estadio do Dragao, with the club’s huge budget, he led the team to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. Later, the club faced their biggest defeat in European competitions and faced other biggest defeats in several competitions.
Moreover, Porto was eliminated from the Championship league, and he was replaced by Rui Barros. He then became the new manager of the Spain national team following the retirement of Vicente del Bosque on 31st July 2016. On 1st September 2016, he led the team to 2-0 friendly victory at the King Baudouin Stadium against Belguim.
Julen Lopetegui’s Net Worth
Julen Lopetegui's net worth is estimated to be in millions, however, the actual amount is still under review. He is on the field since he was 19 years old whether as a goalkeeper or a manager he has always been a part of football. And football has given him almost everything; name, fame, and not to forget the hefty amount of money.
As of 2018, he is the manager of Spain national team, and there is an equal chance that Spain might win World Cup 2018, and if this happens, then it will surely help Lopetegui to increase both his self-worth and net worth.
Julen Lopetegui’s Personal Life
Julen Lopetegui has always maintained a low key personal life. It seems like he is more concerned about his career with little time to spare for his love life. With only limited information, he has shared about his love life; it can be a s sumed that he is single.
Here is the video, which shows the skills of Julen Lopetegui:
by saru, 29 Apr, 2018
