sport news Son of a stone-lifter, but is he worth the weight? Julen Lopetegui has a point ... trends now
The most iconic picture of West Ham’s new coach Julen Lopetegui is not of him lifting the Europa League trophy with Sevilla, or even wearing the goalkeeping jerseys of Real Madrid or Barcelona (he played for both teams).
It’s of him standing next to his dad, who holds aloft his sisters, one in each hand. Champion stone-lifter Jose Antonio, now 94 years old, remains Lopetegui’s greatest inspiration.
He says his father taught him the values of hard work and perseverance that have stood him in good stead. They were the values that got him through a tough period when he lost the two biggest jobs in Spanish football in the space of just a few months.
On both occasions there was a sense of injustice. With the Spain National team he was a victim of the whims of the since disgraced president Luis Rubiales. Then at Real Madrid he fell foul of the club’s notorious impatience. But there was little crying over the episodes and his father would not have it any other way.
‘He was very recognised in stone-lifting in an era when it was much bigger than it is now and you could make a living from it,’ Lopetegui says. ‘He was a great athlete in various sports but he didn’t play football. In fact, I’m the black sheep of the family because my brother was a Basque pelota player for many years at a high professional level.’
Julen Lopetegui pictured with his father, champion stone lifter Jose Antonio, who is holding his sisters aloft
Lopetegui managed to guide Wolves to safety and is now set to return to the Premier League
He says his father was all about ‘sacrifice and not looking for excuses’ and that came through in the way Lopetegui junior bounced back in management by winning a Europa League at Sevilla after the unfortunate experiences with Spain and Madrid.
In 2018 he had the Spanish national team on a 20-game unbeaten run going into the Russia World Cup but on the eve of the showpiece, Real Madrid announced he would be taking over at the Bernabeu after the tournament, and Rubiales sacked him for negotiating with them.
There had been 14 victories and six draws with 61 goals scored and only 13 conceded, and it was widely seen in Spain as ludicrous to remove him just as they were about to play their first game, and for doing something that coaches do all the time. But hot-headed Rubiales seized on the opportunity to become the protagonist and Lopetegui went home robbed of the chance of taking charge of a single game.
The players were with him to a man. Even those that would soon be facing him as Real Madrid coach wanted him to stay. Spain’s director of football Ivan Hierro also
