In time, perhaps, there will be a little sympathy for Julen Lopetegui, the man who lost the two biggest jobs in Spanish soccer in the space of 139 days. On reflection, even those who still feel disappointed or betrayed may recognize the poignancy in the tale of a coach who spent 15 years trying to fulfill his dream, only for it to fall apart in less than five months.

For now, though, that remains a distant prospect. On Monday night, Real Madrid issued a brisk, terse statement confirming Lopetegui’s long-anticipated dismissal after the team’s 5-1 humiliation by Barcelona in the first Clásico of the season on Sunday.

Lopetegui, 52, had been in charge for just 14 games. He had won six and lost six. Real, the reigning European champion, sits ninth in La Liga. The club’s board said it thought it had to act now, “while the objectives for the season can still be attained.”

Outside of his immediate family — his father, José Antonio Lopetegui, had complained in an interview that he had been “robbed of 50 goals” when the club sold Cristiano Ronaldo just a few weeks after Lopetegui arrived – the news produced little sorrow.