Background and career
Julen Lopetegui Argote (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈʝulen lopeˈteɣjaˈɣote]; born 28 August 1966) is a Spanish professional football manager and former footballer. He is the current manager of the Qatar national team.
A goalkeeper, he played 149 La Liga matches over nine seasons, representing Real Madrid, Logroñés, Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano in the competition. He added 168 appearances in the Segunda División for three clubs, winning one cap for Spain and being a member of the squad at the 1994 World Cup.
Lopetegui started working as a manager in 2003, and spent several years in charge of Spain's youth teams, leading the under-19 and under-21 sides to European titles. He was also head coach of the senior national team for two years, but was dismissed before the start of the 2018 World Cup following the announcement of his agreement to join Real Madrid after the tournament. In club football, he managed Rayo Vallecano, Castilla, Porto, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United, winning the 2020 Europa League with Sevilla.
