Julen Lopetegui's hometown refuge

Posted Sunday, June 17, 2018 by Marca.com

Asteasu, a small town in the north of Spain that is less than thirty kilometres from San Sebastian, is the family refuge of Real Madrid's new coach, Julen Lopetegui.

His father and two sisters live there, along with his brother Joxean, who spends less time in the town, while his mother has passed away.

Forty years ago, his family used to run a restaurant and a bar, while his father was playing Harri-jasotzaileak, a popular sport of lifting different kinds of stones in the Basque country.

The former Spain coach left his village and family in a young age, to join several football teams around the country.

Leaving Asteasu, however, didn't separate him from his close friends, such as Javier Iraola, who has a butcher shop just over two hundred metres from Lopetegui's house.

They share plenty experiences together, travelling every 15 days to San Sebastian to attend Real Sociedad games during their most successful era.

Javier's wife, Maite, also joined them to some of their trips and she reassures that the former Porto tactician has a strong bond with his village.

"Lopetegui is from Asteasu, he's happy here with his family and friends and he is proud of his people" she told MARCA.

In a village of less than one and a half thousand people Julen Lopetegui could find a refuge, next to the people that he has shared special experiences with.