Lopetegui only signed a new deal with the Spanish FA three weeks ago, to extend his stay with the national team until 2020.

However, he has now been confirmed as Zinedine Zidane’s replacement, after the Frenchman resigned after winning a third consecutive Champions League with the Bernabeu side with a 3-1 win over Liverpool last month.

Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Show all 23 1 /23 Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Keylor Navas - 7 out of 10 Punched clear an early Liverpool shot and got down well to deny Alexander-Arnold’s strike. Should have acted more decisively for Mane’s goal. Solid performance in all. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Dani Carvajal - 3 out of 10 Forced off early with an injury. Prior to then, his notable contribution to the match was a wild cross-field pass to Sergio Ramos that ended up rolling out for a Liverpool corner. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Sergio Ramos - 7 out of 10 As ever, asserted his physicality well from the back – as seen with his challenge on Salah. Put in an important interception to deny Mane a second around 70 minutes. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Raphael Varane - 7 out of 10 Followed his captain’s lead. A solid force at the back. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Marcelo - 7 out of 10 Dangerous when roaming inwards. Misplaced a few passes but provided assist for Gareth Bale’s stunning volley. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Toni Kroos - 7 out of 10 A strong first half in particular, completing more passes than anyone else on the pitch. Kept Liverpool away from the ball in the second 45 minutes. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Casemiro - 6 out of 10 Not as smooth an operator as his midfield teammates but still played an integral role. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Luka Modric - 8 out of 10 Barely noticed him – which is exactly what he’s there for. Kept Real’s midfield ticking over smoothly with his tidy and slick passing. The footballing equivalent of an electric engine. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Isco - 5 out of 10 Missed a golden opportunity after the restart, hitting the crossbar instead. Failed to properly get going and was replaced just after the hour mark by Bale. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Gareth Bale - 8 out of 10 (substitute) The hero of the match. Scored arguably one of the best goals ever in a Champions League final to put Real back in front before killing off the game with a second. Showed his class and worth to Real. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Cristiano Ronaldo - 6 out of 10 Failed to have the same effect as he did in last year’s final. Had the opportunity to put the game to bed but, under pressure from Robertson, failed to find the target. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Karim Benzema - 7 out of 10 Smart and shrewd in clinching Real’s first. Not pretty in the slightest – not that’ll he mind. An industrious performance. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Loris Karius - 1 out of 10 A calamity. Essentially handed Real victory with two mistakes that shouldn't be made at this level. The less said about them the better. The German will be feeling the pain of defeat more than anyone else in this Liverpool side. It's important now he gets the necessary support he'll need moving forward. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Trent Alexander-Arnold - 6 out of 10 Hit a stinging strike inside Madrid’s box that was blocked by Navas. Got forward well and held his nerve in the biggest game of his career to date. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Dejan Lovren - 6 out of 10 Mixed performance. At times he read the game well and put in some important interceptions but this was offset against the occasional mistake. Faded away in confidence. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Virgil van Dijk - 7 out of 10 Calm and composed for much of the game. Held his line well to catch Real out with offside on a number of occasions. Not much he could do about the goals. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Andy Robertson - 7 out of 10 Looked comfortable up against Real’s front line. Showed real heart and desire with a last-ditch tackle to stop Ronaldo from scoring. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Jordan Henderson - 7 out of 10 Marshalled Liverpool’s midfield well to ensure the side maintained their high press for the first 60 minutes of the game. Never stopped running and did the basics well. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings James Milner - 6 out of 10 Worked his socks off but flew under the radar somewhat. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Georginio Wijnaldum - 6 out of 10 Stepped in for the injured Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Injected a degree of energy to Liverpool’s midfield and worked hard in the press. Another player to fade away. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Mohamed Salah - 4 out of 10 The winger’s evening was brought to an early end in heart-breaking fashion after being fouled by Sergio Ramos. Up until that point the Egyptian had had little say on the match. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Roberto Firmino - 5 out of 10 Went missing for far too much of the match. Failed to deliver on the main stage. Getty Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Champions League final - player ratings Sadio Mane - 7 out of 10 A case of right time, right place for the forward, who met Lovren’s header with a close-range volley to draw Liverpool level. Later hit the post. Stepped up in Salah’s absence. Getty

In a brief statement on their website, Real Madrid said: “Real Madrid C. F. announce that Julen Lopetegui will be the coach of the first team during the next three seasons.

“Julen Lopetegui will join the club after Spain’s participation in the World Cup, after two years leading the national team.”

Reports from Spain suggested the unusual timing of the announcement, only days before the start of the World Cup, was a result of Lopetegui trying to not allow speculation during the tournament to distract from the national side's progress.

Radio Marca claimed all six Real Madrid players in the Spain squads knew of the news but Lopetegui got worried after a non-Real player got wind of the news.

The 51-year-old joined Real as a player in 1988 and spent three seasons with the club, but only managed one appearance before returning to manage their Castilla team in the 2008-09 season.

He was hired as Vincente del Bosque's replacement following Spain's underwhelming Euro 2016 campaign despite being strongly linked with then-Championship side Wolves shortly before.

Lopetegui's first port of call will be to discuss the futures of Real's two biggest stars in Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, both of whom hinted at their desire to leave the club immediately after the Champions League final in Kiev.

While Ronaldo's looks nothing more than his traditional end-of-season threat to leave while in search of an improved contract, Bale's desire to move on seemed more genuine until Zidane announced his own departure. The Independent revealed last week that the Welshman would wait to see who was announced as Zidane's replacement before making a final decision on his future, although that will likely have to wait until after Spain's run in the World Cup ends, with Lopetegui not officially beginning his new role until after the tournament in Russia.