When Julen Lopetegui was announced he would succeed Zinedine Zidane as Real Madrid manager, Spain must have thought little of it.
But, the former Porto and Rayo Vallecano boss has emerged into the spotlight yet again, and surely now the Spain faithful have reason to be concerned.
He was sacked as Spain boss a day before the World Cup starts.
Apparently his conduct, chiefly accepting the Real Madrid job days after extending his contract with Spain, proved too infuriating RFEF president Luis Rubiales.
Rubiales told reporters:
"“We want to thank Julen for all he has done and he’s a big reason behind us being in Russia, but we feel obliged to dispense with his services. There has to be a message to all RFEF employees and there are ways of behaving you need to abide by. It’s the Spanish team, you cannot do things this way.” – Luis Rubiales"
It was announced on Wednesday morning, just two days before Spain face a taxing Iberian derby against Portugal, that Lopetegui won’t be guiding them through the World Cup.
Originally, his Real Madrid appointment was due to be after the tournament, however La Furia Roja look set to start a defining competition with no manager, unless they have someone lined up.
How will the departure affect Spain?
The despondency of 2014 means the onus is on Spain to produce here. Lopetegui has been at the centre of media attention, especially in England, after he left out several notable Premier League names.
Marcos Alonso, Alvaro Morata, Pedro, Cesc Fabregas and Juan Mata will all stay at home while inexperienced La Liga players, for example full back Odriozola, recently touched down in Russia.
Whether the pressure had anything to do with Lopetegui’s departure is one of the many questions still yet to be answered, and will likely remain unanswered until the conclusion of the World Cup.
It does mean that Spain are in danger of following up their woeful defence of their 2010 triumph with another poor tournament, especially considering the way Lopetegui was sacked.
An encouraging, talented squad including David Silva, Andres Iniesta (at his final World Cup) and David de Gea, were tipped to do well, although odds on Spain going deep into the tournament have been altered drastically.
Whether they can still provide their fans with a tournament to be proud of is a debate that will roll on for the next couple of days, and when eyes turn to their clash with Portugal the impact of this week’s drama will be evident.
Next: Marcus Rashford picks up knee injury just before World Cup
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