Two year ago, Julen Lopetegui was on the verge of landing the Wolverhampton Wanderers job in the second tier of English football.
Today, it’s been confirmed that he’ll be stepping into the Zinedine Zidane-shaped void at Real Madrid in July, but only after he’s finished overseeing Spain’s assault on the 2018 World Cup.
As well as coming two days before said World Cup starts, this announcement has also been made by Real just one month after the 51-year-old signed a contract extension with the Spanish Football Federation to remain their manager until 2020.
Official Announcement: Julen Lopetegui will be the #RealMadrid coach after the celebration of the 2018 World Cup.https://t.co/QcDiu6UjHV pic.twitter.com/iA1PnUdrtT
— #CHAMP13NS 🇺🇸🇬🇧 (@realmadriden) June 12, 2018
The secret’s in the timing.
A former goalkeeper, Lopetegui made just one senior appearance for Los Blancos during his playing career – in a dead rubber against Athletic Bilbao after his club had already mathematically secured the league title.