Julen Lopetegui

Porto

Lopetegui returned to club duties on 6 May 2014, being appointed at Portugal's Porto. He signed seven Spanish players to the club that summer.

In his first season at the Estádio do Dragão, with the club's biggest budget ever, Lopetegui led them to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, where they equalled the club's biggest defeat in European competitions losing 6–1 against Bayern Munich (having lost by the same score to AEK Athens in 1978). He failed to win any silverware, contributing to the longest drought during Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa's presidency.

On 8 January 2016, after a 1–3 home loss to Marítimo in the Taça da Liga, as Porto had already been eliminated from the Champions League and was ranked third in the domestic league after an away loss and a home draw, Lopetegui was relieved of his duties and replaced by Rui Barros. A week later, the club announced that it had terminated the former's contract unilaterally.

Spain On 21 July 2016, after being strongly linked to English side Wolverhampton Wanderers which was under new ownership, Lopetegui was announced as the new manager of the Spain national team following Vicente del Bosque's retirement. In his first match in charge, on 1 September, he led them to a 2–0 friendly victory over Belgium at the King Baudouin Stadium; the nation qualified for the 2018 World Cup, winning nine and drawing one of their group matches.

On 12 June 2018, with the team already in Russia for the tournament, it was announced that Lopetegui would take over as the head coach of Real Madrid on a three-year contract after the conclusion of Spain's involvement at the World Cup. The following day, he was dismissed from his job with the national team and replaced by Fernando Hierro.

Real Madrid Lopetegui's first competitive game in charge took place on 15 August 2018, in a 4–2 loss to rivals Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup after extra time. He thus became the second Real manager to start his tenure by conceding four goals, after Englishman Michael Keeping who began in 1948 being downed 4–1 by Celta.

Following a string of bad results and, ultimately, a 5–1 away defeat to Barcelona in El Clásico on 28 October 2018, Lopetegui was fired a day later, being replaced by Santiago Solari.

Sevilla On 5 June 2019, Lopetegui was appointed as the new Sevilla manager on a three-year contract. In his first year, they finished fourth to qualify for the Champions League, and on 21 August they defeated Inter Milan 3–2 in the 2020 UEFA Europa League final, his first club honour.

Lopetegui agreed to a further two-year extension on 10 January 2021. On 5 October 2022, however, following five losses in eight matches in the new season – the last being 4–1 at home against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League – he was dismissed.

Wolverhampton Wanderers After leaving Sevilla, Lopetegui was interviewed by Wolverhampton, who had recently dismissed Bruno Lage, but he initially turned down the offer due to his 92-year-old father's ill health. He was approached again and, on 5 November 2022, announced he would become the club's new head coach effective 14 November. On his competitive debut on 20 December, his team defeated EFL League Two side Gillingham 2–0 at home in the fourth round of the EFL Cup; this put them into the last eight for the first time since 1995–96. Six days later, on his Premier League bow, they won 2–1 at Everton with a last-minute Rayan Aït-Nouri goal, and the manager thereby became the first at the club to win his opening match in the top flight since John Barnwell in 1978.

Lopetegui eventually led Wolves to 13th place. In May 2023, he addressed speculation that he would leave due to the West Midlands club's financial situation; he had stressed the need for new players to the management, but had only learned of the severity of the economic constraints at the end of the campaign. Due to this and other reported disagreements, he left by mutual consent on 8 August.

West Ham United On 23 May 2024, Lopetegui remained in the English top division as the new head coach of West Ham United, taking the place of the recently departed David Moyes; he signed a two-year contract with an option for a third year. On his debut on 17 August, he oversaw a 2–1 home loss against Aston Villa, as the Hammers broke a league record by being defeated 16 times on opening days. He achieved his first win one week later, 2–0 at Crystal Palace.

In January 2025, West Ham were reported to be considering sacking Lopetegui following a 5–0 home defeat against Liverpool and a 4–1 loss to Manchester City. They had also been reported to have been considering his dismissal the previous month, before he achieved a 2–1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers and went on a four-match unbeaten run, their best of the season. He was relieved of his duties on 8 January with the team in 14th position, seven points above the relegation positions; during his tenure, they lost nine of 20 Premier League games, and he broke Lou Macari's record of the fewest matches managed by a permanent manager of the club by taking charge of 18 less than Macari's 40.

Qatar On 1 May 2025, Lopetegui was announced as the new manager of the Qatar national team until the 2027 AFC Asian Cup; he became the third Spaniard ever in less than two years to be appointed at the job. On 14 October, his side qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating the United Arab Emirates 2–1, marking a first-ever presence in the tournament through that stage and their second overall.

Style of management Sporting director Monchi, who worked with Lopetegui at Sevilla, described him as having three virtues that are fundamental for any coach: great professional qualities, competitiveness and group management. He also highlighted Lopetegui's fit to work in big clubs saying that 'Julen perfectly understands what a big club needs, he has his requests, but it’s normal, and he always works in sync with the club. He is demanding but only for the good of those who appointed him and never out of selfishness.'

Personal life Lopetegui's father, José Antonio, was a weightlifter. During Francisco Franco's dictatorial regime, he acted as mayor of Asteasu.

Managerial statistics + Managerial record by team and tenure

Barcelona Supercopa de España: 1994, 1996

Spain U20 FIFA World Youth Championship runner-up: 1985

Manager Sevilla UEFA Europa League: 2019–20

Spain U19 UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2012

Spain U21 UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2013