Spain coach, Julen Lopetegui, will take over as Real Madrid manager after the 2018 FIFA World Cup holding in Russia.
The La Liga giants made this known on Tuesday in a statement, saying,
“Real Madrid CF announces that Julen Lopetegui will coach the first team for the next three seasons.
“Julen Lopetegui will join the club after the participation of the Spanish team in the World Cup, after two years leading the national team.”
The announcement came as a surprise because Lopetegui’s name didn’t feature prominently among the other managers that were linked with the role since Zinedine Zidane left days after winning the Champions League final.
Telegraph.co.uk reports that the 51-year-old former goalkeeper, who has been in charge of the national team for the past two years, has agreed on a three-year contract at the Bernabeu.
Lopetegui made a sole league appearance for Madrid as a player, and later turned out for rivals Barcelona a handful of times.
He coached Madrid’s feeder club Castilla in 2008/09 before taking charge of Spain’s youth teams. In May, he signed a two-year extension to remain as Spain coach until 2020 but the call of Madrid has proved stronger.
