Lopetegui: Yesterday was the saddest day of my life, but today is the happiest LaLiga - Real Madrid The new coach was presented at the Bernabeu

Fresh off one of the most shocking dismissals of a coach in recent memory, Julen Lopetegui shared his happiness as he was introduced as the new manager of Real Madrid.

His sacking as coach of the Spain national team just days before the start of the tournament left more questions than answers, and Lopetegui was adamant he would set the record straight.

In his first words as coach of Real Madrid, he provided a brief introduction and shared exactly what this moment means to him.

"Yesterday was the saddest day of my life, since the death of my mother, but this is the happiest day," he said.

"I hope not to get too emotional, but I want to thank the president and Real Madrid for the trust and the responsibility that I assume with pride and great strength.

"I know which club I am joining and the demands are at a maximum.

"We will give our all to fight to be at the height of the history of the club, and to improve it.

"We will continue to grow our football, managing the great legacy of players and making sure we are all together to reach the highest peaks."

Following his opening statement, Lopetegui took questions and first touched on how his Real Madrid experience has come full circle.

"I came here when I was 18 years old to be a player for Castilla," he continued.

"While here I was able to learn the values and the loyalty needed while you are here.

"I was lucky to coach Castilla and now Real Madrid, it's a cycle that's been fulfilled and I am very happy."

Lopetegui then touched on his feelings about Spain's match tomorrow and whether he will be watching.

"I will watch the game, without a doubt," he said.

"I will cheer just like any other Spaniard and I am sure we will have a great World Cup and bring the trophy back, despite everything."

Next he was questioned on the fallout with Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales and how their conversation went.

"I would have liked Rubiales to have acted differently," he stated.

"Loyalty is telling the truth and, as soon as there was something to say, he was the first one to know.

"I wanted to give a press conference that same day, but I have to wait for him because he was far away.

"The agreement had to be finished before, not during the World Cup.

"What happened during those hours I do not know, but the reason for making it public was to be transparent.

"The players knew about it and there was no problem, they trained magnificently."

When pressed further on what happened, Lopetegui did not feel there was much more to share.

"I do not think you have to have more details," he added.

"I'm loyal to my responsibilities, because that's what I learned at Real Madrid and I'll be like that all of my life, so now it's time to focus on this challenge and start working now."

Finally, he touched on the feelings he has for the players he had to leave behind in Russia and what the expectations are for his new position.

"I hope we have a little bit of the luck that it takes to win a World Cup, as I feel responsible for the group and I feel proud of them," he said.

"I respect the players of the national team as much as possible and we are convinced that what we did was honest and clear.

"Being with the national team, winning the World Cup would be the greatest thing, while being at Madrid is all about winning the Champions League."

He'll hope to win a fourth in a row when the 2018/19 season starts.