Julen Loptegui, who got sacked as Spain’s head coach just 24 hours before the FIFA World Cup 2018 has finally broken his silence. He mentioned it as the saddest day of his life.
The new Real Madrid coach was presented at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday.
Loptegui during the press conference confessed he now has mixed feelings,
“Yesterday was the saddest day of my life, since the death of my mother… but this is the happiest day. I know which club I am joining, the demands are huge, so we will give our all to fight to live up to the history of the club, and to improve it.”
The former Real Madrid star always wanted to come back one day,
“Today is the happiest day of my life. I came here when I was 18 years old with my brother in Castilla. I left home to be at Real Madrid. I’ve lived & drank Madrid.”
The coach also does not doubt his loyalty,
“I have complete loyalty & I am very clear on what loyalty is. I hope Spain have a magnificent World Cup.”
Loptegui knows Madrid well, and he might take no time to get fit in Los Blancos. He played for Castilla for several seasons as a player.
The coach boasts European Championship medals at both Spain’s Under-19 and 21 levels. And, most recently he was in charge of Porto before taking the national team job in 2016.
Real had been heavily linked with many potential managerial appointments following the shock resignation of Zinedine Zidane. But Loptegui’s name came as a shocker. He has got a contract for three years, and he will be looking to make the most out of it.