Real Madrid’s new manager Julen Lopetegui couldn’t hide his emotions as he was unveiled by his new club just after being sacked by the Spanish national team.
In a remarkable story just before the start of the World Cup, Lopetegui was surprisingly dismissed by the 2010 World Cup winners over the way he’d agreed to take the Madrid job after the tournament.
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In what has undoubtedly been a whirlwind 48 hours or so for the Spaniard, he now admits today is the happiest day of his life, though it follows one of his saddest.
Lopetegui may never get another chance to manage at a World Cup, which remains one of the most prestigious competitions not only in football but in world sport.
Julen Lopetegui in tears: "Yesterday was, after the death of my mum, the saddest day of my life… but today is the happiest." pic.twitter.com/7XXd6DFCN5
— Indy Football (@IndyFootball) June 14, 2018
The 51-year-old would not have been expecting to be taking up his role at the Bernabeu this quickly, so it’s perhaps not a surprise he was reportedly in tears as he spoke to the press at his unveiling, according to the Independent.
‘Yesterday was, after the death of my mum, the saddest day of my life… but today is the happiest,’ he is quoted as telling reporters.
Lopetegui is a somewhat surprising replacement for Zinedine Zidane at Madrid, with the Frenchman recently stepping down after winning three Champions League titles in a row, which makes him an incredibly tough act to follow.