Spain manager: Julen Lopetegui named head coach to replace Vicente del Bosque

Lopetegui left Porto at the start of 2016 after having his contract terminated

Former Porto manager Julen Lopetegui has been named Spain head coach (Getty)

Spain have named former Porto head coach Julen Lopetegui as manager following Vicente del Bosque’s resignation after their disappointing Euro 2016 campaign, with a new era starting for the former world and European champions.

49-year-old Lopetegui takes over as the national team manager following a two-year spell with Portuguese side Porto, and returns to the Spanish set-up having previously worked as manager of the Under-19s, Under-20s and Under 21s.

Lopetegui, who hails from Asteasu in the Basque region, has also held stints with Rayo Vallecano and Real Madrid ‘B’.

Lopetegui enjoyed a professional career that saw him turn out for Real Madrid – after coming through the Castilla reserve team – as well as Barcelona, but he made the most of his 317 league appearances for Vallecano and made just one appearance for the national team in 1994.

He faces a tough ask to live up to Del Bosque, who will always be remembered in Spanish football history as the man who ended Spain’s World Cup wait in 2010 when they triumphed in South Africa, with Del Bosque adding the European Championship two years later as Spain retained the title that they claimed in 2008 under the late Luis Aragones.